sting of 1,000 euros per family

Istat today presented the definitive data on the trend in consumer prices for April, confirming a more contained recovery in inflation compared to preliminary estimates.

Annual inflation reaches 2.7%, a figure not recorded since September 2023, while monthly inflation takes off by 1.1%, a level not recorded since October 2022.

The growing sectors

The increase is caused by the sharp rise in prices in the energy and food sectors. After months of respite, prices have started to rise strongly again, for example those of:

• unregulated energy from -2.0% to +9.6%;
• regulated energy from -1.6% to +5.3%;
• unprocessed foods from +4.7% to +5.9%.

These are items that directly weigh on family budgets, from bills to the shopping cart. On the monthly front, unregulated energy products recorded a jump of +5.4%, while unprocessed food grew by +2.0%. In contrast to goods, services show a generalized cooling. Recreational, cultural and personal care services fell from +3.0% to +2.6%, while transport services slowed down sharply from +2.2% to +0.6%.

The shopping cart is also growing

The war in the Middle East, in terms of increased prices and tariffs, is generating a huge 23 billion euro hit on the pockets of Italian families. According to Codacons, inflation at +2.7% translates into:

in an average blow of +893 euros per year for the “typical” family which rises to +1,233 euros per year for a household with two children: if we consider all Italian families, the total bill of the blow reaches 23 billion euros on an annual basis.

For food spending alone, among the items that are most affected by the war in Iran we find:

• fresh food, with vegetables increasing on average by 21.5% on an annual basis;
• ferries which recorded a +14.8%;
• gas rising by +11.8%;
• electricity on the free market rises by +8.2%;
• liquid fuels are even more expensive by +38.1%.

Some items instead record a decline: this is the case of air transport, where the collapse in travel demand is reducing fares. Prices of intercontinental flights drop by -22.5% on an annual basis, European ones by -11.5%, domestic flights -4.2%.

Increases for families

The Iran effect is having serious consequences like those already seen during the previous conflict in 2022. This was stated by Massimiliano Dona, president of the National Consumers Union (UNC), commenting on the Istat data on April inflation.

Trend inflation at 2.7% means, for a couple with two children, an overall increase in the cost of living equal to 1024 euros on an annual basis, 269 euros for food products and non-alcoholic drinks alone, 286 for the shopping cart. Below is a UNC table with the annual price increase by family type and spending divisions, with values ​​in euros: