New Delhi. Inflation has once again gained momentum in the country. In October 2026, the retail inflation rate increased to 6.09 percent (provisional) on an annual basis. In September it was recorded at 5.54 percent (final). That means retail inflation has increased by 0.55 percent in a month. This information was given in the data released on Thursday by the Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation.
According to the ministry, the retail inflation rate in rural areas in October was 6.63 percent, while in urban areas it was recorded at 5.41 percent. Food inflation rate has also increased sharply. Food inflation, which was 7.74 percent in September, increased to 8.94 percent in October.
Food inflation in rural areas 9.09 percent
In October, food inflation rate in rural areas was 9.09 percent, while in urban areas it was recorded at 8.68 percent. The increase in food prices is affecting the kitchen budget of common people.
Onion price increased by more than 116 percent
According to the ministry's data, among the five commodities whose prices recorded the highest increase on an annual basis in October, onion topped the list. Onion prices increased by 116.22 percent. After this, prices of garlic increased by 60.74 percent, silver jewelery by 52.39 percent, ginger by 48.32 percent and lemon by 47.30 percent. At the same time, the prices of some commodities also declined. There was a decline of 14.24 percent in the prices of potato, 10.57 percent in cauliflower, 5.60 percent in coconut, 3.34 percent in brinjal and 1.92 percent in cabbage.
Retail inflation was highest in these states
Tamil Nadu topped in terms of retail inflation in October with 7.29 percent. After this, retail inflation was recorded at 7.26 percent in Telangana, 7.25 percent in Andhra Pradesh, 7.19 percent in Madhya Pradesh and 7.17 percent in Odisha.
Data collected from 1407 urban markets and 1465 villages
The ministry said that employees of the Field Operations Division of the National Statistical Office collect price data in all states and union territories. For this, real-time price data is collected by personally visiting 1407 urban markets, including online markets, and 1465 villages as per weekly roster. The response rate for data collection in both rural and urban markets during October 2026 was 100 percent.