EL7.AI
Macro EconomyMedium•12 November 2026•
2 min read

India Inflation Rises to 6.09% in October as Food Inflation Jumps to 8.94%

Key Facts

1India’s retail inflation rose to 6.09% in October from 5.54% in September.
2Food inflation climbed to 8.94% in October from 7.74% in September.
3Retail inflation was 6.63% in rural areas, compared with 5.41% in cities in October.
4Onion price inflation was 116.22% in October, compared with 108.13% in September.

India’s retail inflation rose to 6.09% year on year in October, from 5.54% in September, according to the Financial Express. Food inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for Food, climbed to 8.94% in October from 7.74% in the previous month, the newspaper said. Both measures increased in the same month, with food remaining at the forefront of the price movements cited in the report. Headline inflation was 6.09%, while the food reading reached 8.94%. The October reading was scheduled for release on November 12, 2026, according to the calendar announced by India’s Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation in September.

The figures showed a disparity between regions, with rural retail inflation at 6.63% in October, compared with 5.41% in cities, according to the Financial Express. The gap also extended to food prices, with rural food inflation rising to 9.09% from 8.06% in September. In urban areas, it climbed to 8.68% from 7.18% in the previous month. Food inflation was therefore higher in rural areas than in cities in October. Headline inflation also rose above its urban counterpart in rural areas during the same month.

By commodity, onion prices recorded inflation of 116.22% in October, compared with 108.13% in September, the newspaper reported. Garlic inflation rose to 60.74% from 54.62% in the previous month. The month-on-month comparison shows that annual price increases for both commodities accelerated in October. By contrast, silver jewellery inflation eased to 52.39% from 87.82% in September. Potato prices continued to fall, with deflation deepening to 14.24% in October from 11.52% in the previous month.

Among states with populations exceeding 50 lakh, Telangana recorded high inflation rates in October, according to the Financial Express. Rural inflation there was 8.05%, while urban inflation stood at 6.68%. These readings reflect a disparity within the state between rural and urban areas, alongside the wider gap India recorded between rural areas and cities. The state data formed part of the report’s regional breakdown of inflation. The Ministry of Statistics had set November 12, 2026, as the release date for October’s Consumer Price Index data, or the next working day if the date fell on a holiday.