India’s retail inflation, measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), rose to 3.93% in May 2026 from 3.48% in April 2026. Rural inflation stood at 4.25%, while urban inflation was 3.53%. The All India CPI index increased to 105.91 in May from 105.12 in April.
Food inflation, measured by the Consumer Food Price Index (CFPI), increased to 4.78% in May 2026 compared to 4.20% in April. Rural food inflation came in at 4.85%, while urban food inflation was 4.66%. The CFPI index rose to 105.35 from 104.39 a month earlier.
Among major categories, Personal Care, Social Protection and Miscellaneous Goods & Services recorded the highest inflation at 18.46%. It was followed by Restaurants and Accommodation Services (5.75%), Paan, Tobacco and Intoxicants (4.83%), and Food & Beverages (4.55%). The lowest inflation was seen in Information & Communication (0.30%), while Housing related inflation stood at 1.73%, Transport at 1.75%, and Health at 1.49%.
The items showing the sharpest price declines were Potato (-23.71%), Peas (-11.47%), Motor Car and Jeep (-7.19%), Cumin/Jeera (-4.59%), and Motorcycle and Scooter (-3.56%). These products recorded the lowest inflation rates at the all India level during May.
On the other hand, the biggest price increases were seen in Silver Jewellery (155.23%), Tomato (48.43%), Gold/Diamond/Platinum Jewellery (40.93%), Ginger (32.49%), and Raisin/Kishmish/Monacca (21.97%). Tomato and ginger prices rose sharply compared with April, contributing to higher food inflation.
Among large states with populations above 50 lakh, Telangana recorded the highest overall inflation at 6.15%, followed by Tamil Nadu (5.11%), Andhra Pradesh (4.90%), Karnataka (4.59%), and Odisha (4.54%). Food inflation in these states was even higher, with Tamil Nadu leading at 7.38%, followed by Karnataka (6.97%), Andhra Pradesh (6.93%), Telangana (6.71%), and Odisha (5.60%). The next CPI inflation data for June 2026 will be released on 13 July 2026.
