According to preliminary data from the Statistics Office, Estonia's consumer prices experienced a 3.2 percent increase in February compared to February of 2025, with a month-on-month rise of 0.75 percent from January. This is a decline from the annual growth rate of 3.7 percent reported in January. The final figures for the consumer price index change for February are expected to be published by the Statistics Office on Friday. Economist Lenno Uusküla from Luminor noted that the increase in prices may be attributed to rising food costs, as the prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages went up by 1.1 percent within a month, with alcohol prices increasing by 3.3 percent. The annual rise in food prices remains at 4.5 percent, while the annual increase in alcohol and tobacco prices is recorded at 3.2 percent. The beginning of the year has shown a price rise similar to that of the previous year over the first two months, according to Uusküla. He added that the price increases for the remainder of the year may be influenced by upcoming tax increases and wage growth in the services sector. Conversely, there are also concerns about potential inflationary pressures affecting consumer spending power.