India's retail inflation, measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), rose to 3.93 per cent in May 2026 from 3.48 per cent in April, according to data released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) on Thursday.
The year-on-year inflation rate stood at 4.25 per cent in rural areas and 3.53 per cent in urban areas, with the overall combined inflation rate at 3.93 per cent.
Food inflation also edged higher during the month. The Consumer Food Price Index (CFPI)-based inflation increased to 4.78 per cent in May from 4.20 per cent in April. Rural food inflation was recorded at 4.85 per cent, while urban food inflation stood at 4.66 per cent.
Among major commodities, silver jewellery registered the highest inflation at 155.23 per cent, followed by tomatoes at 48.43 per cent, gold, diamond and platinum jewellery at 40.93 per cent, ginger at 32.49 per cent, and raisins at 21.97 per cent.
On the other hand, potato prices continued to remain sharply lower, recording a deflation of 23.71 per cent. Peas, motor cars and jeeps, cumin (jeera), and motorcycles and scooters also witnessed negative inflation during the month.
At the category level, restaurants and accommodation services recorded inflation of 5.75 per cent, while food and beverages inflation stood at 4.55 per cent. Personal care, social protection and miscellaneous goods and services registered a sharp inflation rate of 18.46 per cent.
Among states and Union Territories with populations above 50 lakh, Telangana recorded the highest inflation rate at 6.15 per cent, followed by Tamil Nadu at 5.11 per cent and Puducherry at 5.00 per cent. Delhi reported a relatively lower inflation rate of 2.50 per cent, while West Bengal's inflation stood at 3.44 per cent.
The National Statistical Office (NSO) said price data was collected from 1,407 urban markets and 1,465 villages across the country, achieving a 100 per cent response rate in both rural and urban areas during May.
The CPI data for June 2026 will be released on July 13, 2026.
