Consumer prices in the OECD area rose by 2.1% in the year to April 2010, unchanged from March. Energy and Food prices rose at slightly higher rates in April compared with March (12.2% and 0.7% respectively, compared with 11.3% and 0.2%). But excluding food and energy, consumer prices increased by 1.2% only in April, the lowest rate on record.

In Chile, a member of the OECD since 7 May 2010, consumer prices rose by 0.9% year-on-year in April, compared with 0.3 % in the year to March.



Deflation continued in Japan where consumer prices fell by 1.2% in the year to April after a decrease of 1.1% in the year to March and inflation decelerated in Germany (1.0% compared to 1.1%) and the United States (2.2% compared to 2.3%). Annual inflation rose in the United Kingdom (3.7% up from 3.4%), Canada (1.8% up from 1.4%), France (1.7% up from 1.6%) and Italy (1.5% up from 1.4%). Euro area annual inflation (HICP) was 1.5% in April 2010 compared with 1.4% in March.

Relative to the previous month, consumer prices in the OECD area increased by 0.2% in April, compared with 0.5% in March. They rose by 0.6% in the United Kingdom, 0.4% in Italy, 0.3% in France and Canada, 0.2% in the United States, and remained stable in Japan while they decreased by 0.1% in Germany.