Ljubljana - The annual inflation rate in Slovenia in August stood at 2.1%, mostly due to significantly more expensive petroleum products, while monthly inflation rate was at 0.1%, the Statistics Office reported on Tuesday.

The higher prices of petroleum products contributed 1.2 percentage points to the annual inflation in August, with the price of diesel up by 29.6% on average and of petrol by 26%.

The prices in the group restaurants and hotels were up by 3.7%, adding another 0.3 of a percentage point to the annual inflation.

On the other hand, cheaper packages for holidays abroad (-13.3%) offset the annual rate by 0.4 of a percentage point.

The monthly inflation rate in August was meanwhile at 0.1%, with the prices of car-related services increasing by 3.6% and the prices of household furniture going up by 2.6%.

The rate was offset by discounts in the summer sales of footwear and clothing, with the prices dropping by 3.9%.

Measured with the harmonised index of consumer prices, an EU gauge, consumer prices rose by 2.1% year-on-year, and by 0.1% at the monthly level in August.