Retail inflation rises to 5.54% in September as food inflation climbs to 7.74%
12 October 2026
The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation released Consumer Price Index data for September 2026 on 12 October 2026.
Headline retail inflation rose to 5.54% from 4.83% in August 2026, a rise of 71 basis points.
Food inflation, measured by the Consumer Food Price Index, rose to 7.74% from 5.97%.
Rural inflation stood at 6.08% and urban inflation at 4.88%.
Onion inflation was 108.09% and silver jewellery 87.80%, while potato was at minus 11.50%.
Among States with a population above five million, Tamil Nadu recorded the highest headline rate at 6.81%.
The Monetary Policy Committee had raised the policy repo rate by 25 basis points to 5.50% on 7 October 2026 and changed its stance to calibrated tightening.
In plain words
CPI Consumer Price Index — The index that tracks the retail prices a household pays for a fixed basket of goods and services.
CFPI Consumer Food Price Index — The food-only part of the Consumer Price Index.
Basis point One hundredth of one per cent — Interest rate changes are counted in these units, so 25 of them make a quarter of a percentage point.
Calibrated tightening — A policy stance under which the central bank may raise rates but will not lower them.