The annual CPI inflation in the Euro Area was reported to have risen to 2.9% in December from a more than 2-year low of 2.4% in November, preliminary data by Eurostat showed on Friday.
In comparison, market consensus had pointed to a sharper increase to 3%.
It has been the first inflation uptick since April, mostly driven by energy-related base effects.
Energy cost dropped at a slower rate in December, by 6.7% year-on-year, after an 11.5% slump in November.
Services inflation remained steady at 4%.
Last month, price increases moderated for both food, alcohol and tobacco (up 6.1% year-on-year versus 6.9% year-on-year in November) and non-energy industrial goods (up 2.5% year-on-year versus a 2.9% rise in November).
Meanwhile, the annual core inflation rate, which excludes prices of volatile categories such as food and energy, slowed to 3.4% in December. It has been the lowest core rate since March 2022.
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