PIB TrackerCPI inflation rises to 6.09% in October 2026
Retail inflation on the 2024=100 base reached 6.09 per cent in October 2026 from 5.54 per cent in September, with food inflation at 8.94 per cent, onion up 116.22 per cent and rural prices rising faster than urban.
What happened
- MoSPI released provisional CPI (base 2024=100) for October 2026: 6.09 per cent year on year, up from 5.54 per cent in September; rural 6.63, urban 5.41.
- The Consumer Food Price Index shows 8.94 per cent (rural 9.09, urban 8.68), against 7.74 per cent a month earlier.
- Onion (116.22), garlic (60.74), silver jewellery (52.39), ginger (48.32) and lemon (47.30) top the item list; potato (-14.24) and cauliflower (-10.57) are lowest.
- Division-wise, personal care and miscellaneous goods 10.14 and restaurants and accommodation 10.06 lead; health 2.05, recreation 2.52 and housing 2.90 are lowest.
- Data come from 1,407 urban markets and 1,465 villages at a 100 per cent response rate; the November 2026 CPI is due on 14 December 2026.
For Prelims
- CPI (2024=100): MoSPI's new series, first released on 12 February 2026 with 2024 as the base (earlier 2012) and the COICOP 2018 classification, according to PIB releases of March 2026.
- CFPI: the Consumer Food Price Index is a separate series; it reads 8.94 per cent for October 2026, and food and beverages carry a weight of 36.75 in the General index.
- Provisional and final: October 2026 figures are provisional; September's 5.54 per cent is the final figure. The index is compiled by the National Statistics Office, MoSPI.
- Tolerance band: the inflation target is 4 per cent with a band of 2-6 per cent; at 6.09 per cent the headline is just above the upper limit.
- Price collection: field staff of the NSO collect prices weekly from 1,407 urban markets (including online) and 1,465 villages.
- Base effect: the 2025 index was 103.74 in August, September and October, so October 2026's monthly rise of about 0.51 per cent passes fully into the annual rate.
- Rural-urban gap: rural 6.63 per cent against urban 5.41 per cent, a gap of 1.22 percentage points, against 1.20 in September (6.08 and 4.88).
- Wholesale link: WPI inflation (base 2022-23) was 11.39 per cent in September 2026, with fuel and power at 25.85 per cent (PRID 2323098).
For UPSC: CPI (2024=100) Oct 2026: 6.09% (rural 6.63, urban 5.41) vs 5.54% in Sept; CFPI 8.94%; onion 116.22%; MoSPI; next release 14 December 2026.
What it is NOT: The release does not explain the rise or say how much came from onion, vegetables, gold and silver or fuel. It gives no seasonally adjusted or core figure and does not compare the 6.09 per cent with the 2-6 per cent band. It does not say why silver jewellery inflation eased from 87.82 to 52.39 per cent while other items rose, what the response rate means for thin State-level item samples, or whether September's figure will be revised.
For Mains
Syllabus: GS3.1 · GS3.4 · Linkage L1
Anchor
Consumer price inflation is the number the inflation target is written around, so a move across the 6 per cent line matters for monetary policy and for household budgets alike.
Substantiation (data)
Headline inflation rose from 5.54 to 6.09 per cent in a month, rural 6.63 and urban 5.41. Food inflation is 8.94 per cent, onion is up 116.22 per cent, and the 2025 index was flat at 103.74 for three months.
Position
The jump is concentrated in food and a few items, which points to supply shocks rather than broad demand. Housing at 2.90 per cent and health at 2.05 per cent are subdued, so a general price spiral is not yet visible.
Counterpoint
Restaurants and personal care are near 10 per cent, so pass-through is under way, and September's wholesale inflation of 11.39 per cent with fuel and power at 25.85 per cent means cost pressure is still in the pipeline.
Way forward
Stock and release buffer foodgrains and onion, ease trade and storage bottlenecks, watch the next wholesale reading and State-level gaps, and judge policy on core and food inflation separately.
Conclusion
Inflation has risen every month since January 2026 in the new series and now sits just above the band. Whether it falls back depends on food supply, not on this month's number alone.
Deploys into: Inflation measurement and the target band · Food price volatility and supply management · Rural-urban and State-wise price differences · Link between wholesale and retail inflation
Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation · 2026-11-12 · PRID 2335416 · PIB source ↗