Headline inflation in the euro zone unexpectedly rose to 2.6% in June, the European Union's statistics agency said Wednesday.
In June, inflation had come in at 2.5%, easing slightly from the 2.6% of May.
Economists polled by Reuters had been expecting the headline figure for July to be unchanged from June's reading at 2.5%.
Core inflation, which excludes more volatile energy, food, alcohol and tobacco prices, hit 2.9% in July, versus a Reuters estimate of 2.8%.
The inflation rates come just a day after the release of the zone's second quarter gross domestic product, which the European Union's statistics office said grew 0.3% in the three months to the end of June.
Organizations:
Reuters, ECB
Locations:
Germany