Financial Report Insights

Euro area interest rate

European Central Bank

Policy rate
2.50%
Sep 22, 2026
Last move
+0.25 pt
Sep 22, 2026
12-month change
+0.50 pt
vs a year earlier
Member countries
21
share this rate

The policy rate set by the European Central Bank is 2.50% as of Sep 22, 2026. Its most recent move: it raised its rate from 2.25% to 2.50% (Sep 22, 2026). The rate is 0.50 percentage points higher than a year earlier.

Policy rate over the past two years

Aug 2024Sep 22, 2026
Sep 22, 2026: 2.50%

Rate changes

WhenDecisionFromToChange
Sep 22, 2026Hike2.25%2.50%+0.25 pt
Jun 2026Hike2.00%2.25%+0.25 pt
Jun 2025Cut2.25%2.00%−0.25 pt
Apr 2025Cut2.50%2.25%−0.25 pt
Mar 2025Cut2.75%2.50%−0.25 pt
Feb 2025Cut3.00%2.75%−0.25 pt
Dec 2024Cut3.25%3.00%−0.25 pt
Oct 2024Cut3.50%3.25%−0.25 pt
Sep 2024Cut4.25%3.50%−0.75 pt

Changes between month-end rates, plus the latest daily reading. Two decisions in one month show up as a single change.

Euro area countries

All 21 countries share the ECB's rate, but inflation and government borrowing costs differ.

CountryInflationReal rate10-yr bond
Austria2.8% (Jul 2026)−0.3%3.41%
Belgium4.0% (Aug 2026)−1.5%3.76%
Bulgaria5.1% (Aug 2026)−2.6%4.09%
Croatia5.2% (May 2026)−2.7%3.58%
Cyprus2.9% (Jul 2026)−0.4%–
Estonia1.5% (Aug 2026)+1.0%3.83%
Finland2.2% (Aug 2026)+0.3%3.52%
France2.4% (Aug 2026)+0.1%4.00%
Germany2.9% (Aug 2026)−0.4%3.18%
Greece3.8% (Aug 2026)−1.3%3.87%
Ireland3.7% (Aug 2026)−1.2%3.35%
Italy2.9% (Jul 2026)−0.4%3.99%
Latvia2.6% (Jul 2026)−0.1%3.82%
Lithuania6.1% (Aug 2026)−3.6%2.88%
Luxembourg2.2% (Jul 2026)+0.3%3.40%
Malta2.5% (Jun 2026)0.0%–
Netherlands3.3% (Aug 2026)−0.8%3.29%
Portugal3.0% (Jul 2026)−0.5%3.44%
Slovakia3.4% (Jun 2026)−0.9%3.85%
Slovenia3.0% (Aug 2026)−0.5%3.54%
Spain4.3% (Aug 2026)−1.8%3.63%

Other central banks in Europe

Source: BIS (European Central Bank). Updated daily. All central bank rates