France preliminary inflation rises to 2.8% in May, below forecasts
French consumer prices rose less than expected in May, preliminary data from statistics agency INSEE showed on Friday.
France's harmonized inflation rate, adjusted for comparison with other euro zone countries, was 2.8% year-on-year in May, driven by higher energy prices, particularly for natural gas, the stats office said.
A Reuters poll of 19 analysts had expected a median rate of 2.9%, with estimates ranging from 2.3% to 3.1%.
(Reporting by Hugo Lhomedet in Gdansk, editing by Milla Nissi-Prussak)
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This story was originally published May 29, 2026 at 2:48 AM.