Consumer prices in the OECD area rose by 3.1% in the year to June 2011, compared with 3.2% in May - the first decrease in inflation since November 2010. This easing in the rate of inflation mainly reflected slower growth in energy prices, which increased by 13.6% in June, compared with 14.2% in May. Food prices rose by 4.0% in June, up from 3.9% in May.

Consumer prices, selected areas
June 2011, percentage change on the same month of the previous year



Inflation decelerated in the year to June in Canada (to 3.1% in June, down from 3.7% in May), the United Kingdom (to 4.2%, down from 4.5%) and Japan (to 0.2%, down from 0.3%). In other major OECD economies inflation remained either stable (the United States, 3.6%, Germany, 2.3%) or slightly increased (2.7% in Italy, up from 2.6%, and 2.1% in France, up from 2.0%). Euro area annual inflation (HICP) was stable at 2.7% in June.

Inflation picked up to 6.4% in China (up from 5.5%) - the highest rate since June 2008; 5.1% in South Africa (up from 4.6%), and 6.7% in Brazil (up from 6.6%). Inflation slowed to 5.5% in Indonesia (down from 6.0%), to 9.4% in the Russian Federation (down from 9.6%), and to 8.6% in India (down from 8.7%).

Compared to the previous month, consumer prices in the OECD area decreased by 0.1% in June 2011. They fell by 0.7% in Canada, and by 0.1% in Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, while they rose by 0.1% in France, Germany and Italy.