In December 2015, the annual inflation rate in the OECD area rose to 0.9%, compared to 0.7% in November.
This increase in the annual inflation rate is mainly the result of a slowdown in the decline of energy prices (-8.6% in December 2015 compared to -10.0% in November), while food prices decreased to 0.8% year-on-year, compared to 1.2% in November.
Excluding food and energy, the annual inflation rate in the OECD area slightly increased to 1.9% in December, up from 1.8% in November.
In December 2015, the situation was mixed among the major economies in the OECD area. The annual inflation rate increased in Canada (1.6% compared to 1.4%), the United States (0.7% compared to 0.5%), the United Kingdom (0.2% compared to 0.1%), and France (0.2% compared to 0.0%).
It remained stable in Italy (0.1%) and slightly decreased in Germany (0.3% compared to 0.4%) and Japan (0.2% compared to 0.3%).
In the euro area, the annual inflation rate measured by the HICP slightly increased (0.2% in December compared to 0.1% in November). Excluding food and energy, the annual inflation rate in the euro area remained stable at 0.9%. The flash estimate released by Eurostat for January 2016 shows an increase in the annual inflation rate to 0.4%.
The annual inflation rate in the G20 area remained stable at 2.7% in December. Among non-OECD countries, the annual inflation rate increased in South Africa (to 5.2%), Brazil (to 10.7%), and increased slightly in China (to 1.6%).
In contrast, it slowed in the Russian Federation (to 12.9%), Indonesia (to 3.4%), and India (to 6.3%), while it remained stable in Saudi Arabia (at 2.3%).
