Annual energy prices rose 8.5% in October compared with a gain of 3.3% in September. Food prices rose 4.1% year-on-year after an annual 3.5% in September.

Consumer price indices in the 30-country OECD area* rose by 2.8% in the year to October 2007 compared with 2.2% in the year to September 2007. Nonetheless, on a monthly basis, the price level rose by 0.3% in October, unchanged compared with September.

Consumer prices for energy increased by 8.5% year-on-year in October, compared with a rise of 3.4% in September. Consumer prices for food were up by 4.1% year-on-year in October, compared with 3.5% in September. Excluding food and energy, consumer prices rose by 1.9% in the year to October, unchanged compared with September.

In the Eurozone, the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) was up by 2.6% in the year to October, compared with 2.1% in the year to September 2007. Month-on-month, the HICP in the euro area rose by 0.5% between September and October after 0.4% between August and September 2007. Excluding food and energy, the year-on-year rise in the HICP in the euro area amounted to 1.9% in October, after a rise by 1.8% in September.

In the United States, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased by 3.5% over the twelve months to October, compared with 2.8% in the year to September 2007.

In Japan, consumer prices increased by 0.3% in October over the year, compared with a decrease of 0.2% in September.

Over the twelve months to October, consumer prices rose by 2.4% in Canada and Germany, 2.1% in the United Kingdom and Italy and 2.0% in France.

*OECD member countries - - Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States (30 Member Countries)