Prices in Catalonia began the year following the downward trend, with year-on-year inflation reaching 2% in January, four-tenths of a percentage point lower than the previous month, according to data published this Friday by the National Statistics Institute (INE). The decrease is mainly explained by the evolution of energy prices and consolidates the slowdown that began in recent months. This also places it three-tenths of a percentage point below the national average (2.3%), and for the eleventh consecutive month, the cost of living has risen less in Catalonia than in Spain as a whole. The Principality was the sixth autonomous community with the smallest increase in the Consumer Price Index (CPI, the indicator that measures the evolution of the cost of living), after La Rioja, Murcia, Galicia, Castilla-La Mancha, and Asturias, where the rate fell by a further tenth of a percentage point to 1.9%. In contrast, the regions where prices rose the most were the Community of Madrid (+3%), Ceuta (+2.9%), and Cantabria and the Valencian Community (+2.5%). In Catalonia, the product groups that saw the largest price increases in January compared to the same month of the previous year were insurance and financial services (5.9%), alcoholic beverages and tobacco (4.5%), followed by restaurants and accommodation services (3.7%), while transportation (-0.7%) registered decreases. By region, Tarragona led the year-on-year increase in the CPI at the start of this year, with a rise of 2.1%, followed by 2% in Barcelona and Girona, and 1.6% in Lleida. In Spain, year-on-year inflation stood at 2.3% in January, six tenths of a percentage point lower than the previous month's figure and one tenth of a percentage point lower than the initial estimate from the National Statistics Institute (INE). This is the largest decrease since March of last year and is mainly explained by the moderation of energy prices. The final figure published this Friday thus reaffirms the trend of price moderation observed in recent months. With this result, inflation continues to approach the European Central Bank's (ECB) target of around 2%. The Ministry of Economy has highlighted that, over the course of 2025, the aggregate purchasing power of households increased by 1.5% thanks to wage increases that outpaced average inflation for the year. Food Prices

As for core inflation—which excludes energy and fresh food prices due to their greater volatility—this indicator remains stable at 2.6% for the third consecutive month. Food prices, which had previously been at the forefront of the price crisis, moderated their increase by one-tenth of a percentage point compared to December.

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Catalonia received 20,055,314 foreign tourists in 2025, a record high, according to data published Tuesday by the National Statistics Institute (INE). Last year, however, growth in international tourist arrivals slowed, increasing by only 0.58% compared to the previous year, the lowest increase since the sector began recovering from pandemic restrictions in 2021. These figures are followed by the Canary Islands (15.7 million), Andalusia (14.5 million), the Valencian Community (12.4 million), and Madrid (9.1 million). Nationwide, the country saw the largest increases in international tourist arrivals. Last year, 96.7 million foreign tourists arrived., a figure that is 3.21% higher than the previous year.

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This has been the most significant finding in the balance sheet. registered unemployment in Spain during 2025The number of unemployed people under 25 fell in December to 176,852, the lowest figure on record. The overall positive performance of the labor market, especially since the end of the pandemic, has also helped to alleviate one of the labor-related grievances the country has faced since the Great Recession.

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July, August, and September, the three busiest months of the tourist season in our country, closed with a new record for employment in Catalonia, but also with more people losing their jobs. This is indicated by data from the Active Population Survey (EPA) published this Friday by the National Institute of Statistics (INE).

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When unions and companies negotiate wage increases within a collective bargaining agreement, there is never a single, automatic formula. This back-and-forth combines different criteria and can contribute, for example, to the fact that the company in question has increased its profits, that its sector is experiencing growth, or that the workforce is exerting pressure through protests and strikes.

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Nonstop. Mortgage issuances again set records in July. In Catalonia, a total of 8,406 transactions were closed, representing a 25.7% increase compared to the previous year, according to data released this Thursday by the National Institute of Statistics (INE). A total of €1,589.85 million in mortgages for home purchases were lent, 40.7% more than a year ago and 22% more than the previous month.

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