Belgium Inflation May 2026: CPI, Health Index, and Core Inflation Data

May 28, 2026

Inflation in May 2026 stood at 4.08%, according to data released by the Belgian statistical office Statbel on May 28, 2026. The headline inflation rate rose from 4.01% in April, after having been at 1.65% in March.

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for May recorded a decrease of 0.08 points, or 0.08%, settling at 103.26 points (with a base year 2025=100), compared to 103.34 points in April. The health index also fell by 0.08 points to 102.69 points in May, down from 102.77 points in the previous month. The smoothed health index, used for indexation of public wages and social benefits, reached 100.19 points in May, while the next central index for those purposes is set at 100.28 points.

Inflation based on the health index rose to 3.48% in May, up from 3.38% in April and 1.38% in March. Core inflation, which excludes energy products and unprocessed food, stood at 3.59% in May, compared to 3.55% in April. Inflation excluding energy altogether was 3.47% in May, down from 3.49% in the prior month and up from 2.54% in March.

Energy inflation accelerated to 11.20% in May from 10.58% in April, contributing 0.98 percentage points to total inflation. Electricity inflation eased to 2.9% from 3.3% in April, and natural gas inflation fell to 10.1% from 11.4% the month before. Prices for natural gas dropped by 7.3% month-on-month, while electricity prices declined by 4.4% on average in May. Domestic heating oil, calculated using a smoothed 12-month moving average, rose by 3.4% year-on-year. Motor fuel prices were 27.3% higher than in May 2025 but fell by 0.6% compared to April 2026.

Inflation for services climbed from 5.28% to 5.88% in May. Rent inflation decreased to 3.36% from 3.45% in the previous month. Food product inflation (including alcoholic beverages) dropped to 1.20% from 1.86% in April, contributing 0.23 percentage points to total inflation.

The transport group had the largest upward effect on inflation in May, contributing 0.70 percentage points, and also made the largest positive contribution at 1.23 percentage points. The food and non-alcoholic beverages group exerted the largest downward effect, at minus 0.63 percentage points. The groups with the smallest positive contributions to inflation were education and interior decoration and household appliances, each at 0.02 percentage points.

The most significant price increases in May were recorded for package holidays, holiday villages and camping sites, refuse collection, private rents, domestic heating oil, and veterinary services. Package holidays rose by an average of 2.8%, holiday villages and camping sites by 9.0%, refuse collection by 16.2%, private rents by 0.6%, domestic heating oil by 3.8%, and veterinary services by 6.0%. In contrast, prices decreased for natural gas (down 7.3%), electricity (down 4.4%), the purchase of vehicles (down 0.8%), fruit (down 2.5%), and vegetables (down 1.5%).

Compared to May 2025, products that saw sharp price increases include external memory storage devices, as well as holiday villages and camping sites. Products that fell sharply in price year-on-year include medical diagnostic products, computers and tablets, and other fresh fruit such as grapes, kiwi, and melon.

The first estimate of the European Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices for May 2026 stood at 4.1%.

1. INTRODUCTION

Making Data-Driven Decisions to Grow Your Business

REPORT DESCRIPTION
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND THE AI PLATFORM
DATA-DRIVEN DECISIONS FOR YOUR BUSINESS
GLOSSARY AND SPECIFIC TERMS

2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

A Quick Overview of Market Performance

KEY FINDINGS
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3. MARKET OVERVIEW

Understanding the Current State of The Market and its Prospects

MARKET SIZE: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2025) AND FORECAST (2026–2035)
CONSUMPTION BY COUNTRY: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2025) AND FORECAST (2026–2035)
MARKET FORECAST TO 2035

4. MOST PROMISING PRODUCTS FOR DIVERSIFICATION

Finding New Products to Diversify Your Business

TOP PRODUCTS TO DIVERSIFY YOUR BUSINESS
BEST-SELLING PRODUCTS
MOST CONSUMED PRODUCTS
MOST TRADED PRODUCTS
MOST PROFITABLE PRODUCTS FOR EXPORT

5. MOST PROMISING SUPPLYING COUNTRIES

Choosing the Best Countries to Establish Your Sustainable Supply Chain

TOP COUNTRIES TO SOURCE YOUR PRODUCT
TOP PRODUCING COUNTRIES
TOP EXPORTING COUNTRIES
LOW-COST EXPORTING COUNTRIES

6. MOST PROMISING OVERSEAS MARKETS

Choosing the Best Countries to Boost Your Export

TOP OVERSEAS MARKETS FOR EXPORTING YOUR PRODUCT
TOP CONSUMING MARKETS
UNSATURATED MARKETS
TOP IMPORTING MARKETS
MOST PROFITABLE MARKETS

7. PRODUCTION

The Latest Trends and Insights into The Industry

PRODUCTION VOLUME AND VALUE: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2025) AND FORECAST (2026–2035)
PRODUCTION BY COUNTRY: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2025) AND FORECAST (2026–2035)

8. IMPORTS

The Largest Import Supplying Countries

IMPORTS: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2025) AND FORECAST (2026–2035)
IMPORTS BY COUNTRY: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2025) AND FORECAST (2026–2035)
IMPORT PRICES BY COUNTRY: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2025) AND FORECAST (2026–2035)

9. EXPORTS

The Largest Destinations for Exports

EXPORTS: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2025) AND FORECAST (2026–2035)
EXPORTS BY COUNTRY: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2025) AND FORECAST (2026–2035)
EXPORT PRICES BY COUNTRY: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2025) AND FORECAST (2026–2035)

10. PROFILES OF MAJOR PRODUCERS

The Largest Producers on The Market and Their Profiles

11. COUNTRY PROFILES

The Largest Markets And Their Profiles

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11.1

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