Greece emerged from 33 months of deflation in December, finally seeing some price rises after a bruising period of economic decline and political upheaval.
Inflation calculated to European Union norms rose 0.4% in December, topping forecasts, data from the country's statistics service showed today.
But the headline consumer price index - using Greece's local methodology - fell 0.2% year-on-year in December, although the annual pace of deflation decelerating from the previous month.
Greece has been in deflation mode for the last two and a half years as wage and pension cuts in return for bailout aid and a protracted recession took a heavy toll on Greek households' income.
Deflation in Greece, which signed up to its first international bailout in 2010, hit its highest level in November 2013, when consumer prices registered a 2.9% year-on-year decline.
Foods, non-alcoholic beverages, healthcare, transportation, hotel and restaurant prices drove the EU-harmonised inflation index higher in December, today's data showed.
Economists polled by Reuters had forecast an annual rate of 0.2% for December.
Analysts said that EU-harmonised inflation is expected to remain in slightly positive territory over the first half of this year, though base effects from the VAT hikes will start to abate from July onwards.
A gradual pick up in consumer prices during the summer months reflected the impact of increases in value-added tax rates, they added.
Annual euro zone inflation was revised up to 0.2% in November, rising slightly more than expected because of a slowdown in the decline of energy prices.
