CPI Inflation August 2026: Retail Inflation Rises to 4.82%

The retail inflation for India in terms of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose to 4.82% in August 2026, based on provisional statistics issued by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI). This inflation rate is higher than the 4.45% seen in July 2026. The food inflation rate, which was measured by the Consumer Food Price Index (CFPI), had risen to 5.95% in August as compared to the rate of 5.52% in July. Rural inflation was at 5.23% while urban inflation was at 4.31%.

CPI Inflation in August 2026

As per the latest CPI data, which is based on the new 2024=100 base year, inflation was experienced across the both rural and urban areas.

The all-India combined CPI index increased from 107.95 in July to 108.74 in August.

Food Inflation at 5.95%

Food inflation continued to be a major factor in retail inflation. Overall food inflation rose to 5.95% in August from 5.52% in July.

Rural food inflation was slightly higher at 6.13% whereas urban food inflation was recorded at 5.64%.

On item level, tomato inflation was the lowest at -31.09%, followed by potato inflation at -13.14%. Motor cars and jeeps had inflation of -6.72%.

The items which had high inflation rates were silver jewellery at 107.11%, ginger at 73.82%, onion at 48.27% and garlic at 43.60%.

Which Categories Saw Higher Inflation?

The August data show notable price pressures in the several service and consumption categories.

Category Wise Combined Inflation

• Personal care, social protection & miscellaneous goods/services: 15.17%
• Restaurants & accommodation services: 8.38%
• Food & beverages: 5.66%
• Transport: 4.60%
• Clothing & footwear: 3.56%
• Education services: 3.73%
• Health: 1.34%

The personal care, social protection and miscellaneous goods and services category recorded the highest division-level inflation at 15.17%.

Inflation in State Wise CPI

Among the States and UTs for which data have been collected in August, Telangana showed combined inflation of 6.27%, followed by Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu with 6.22% and Puducherry with 5.85%.

The combined CPI inflation for Gujarat is 4.94% while that of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh is 5.09% and 5.55%, respectively.

When Would CPI for September 2026 Be Released?

CPI data for September 2026 would be released on October 12, 2026, or the next working day if October 12 happens to be a holiday.

In August, prices have been collected from 1,407 urban centers and 1,465 villages covering all the States and UTs. Response rate is 100% for both rural and urban markets.