Muscat: The general index of import prices in the Sultanate of Oman increased by 11.7 percent in the second quarter (Q2) of 2026, compared to the same quarter of 2025. It increased by 2 percent compared to the first quarter of the same year.
Data issued by the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI) showed that most commodity groups recorded an increase in import prices during the second quarter of 2026, compared to the same quarter of 2025. The mineral fuels and related materials group lead the list of increases at 45.5 percent, followed by the vegetable and animal oils, fats and waxes group at 16 percent, and the chemicals and related materials group at 11.6 percent.
Prices also rose for the following categories: inedible raw materials (excluding fuels) by 8.3 percent, manufactured goods classified chiefly by material by 7.1 percent, beverages and tobacco by 6.5 percent, food and live animals by 1.1 percent, and machinery and transport equipment by 1 percent. In contrast, miscellaneous manufactured goods saw a decrease of 2.9 percent.
On a quarterly basis, the overall import price index rose by 2 percent in the second quarter of 2026, compared to the first quarter of the same year.
The data showed that the prices of a number of commodity groups rose during the second quarter of 2026, compared to the first quarter, with the mineral fuels and related materials group recording the highest increase at 21.1 percent, followed by the beverages and tobacco group at 13.8 percent, then the chemicals and related materials group and the manufactured goods classified chiefly by material group at 12.5 percent each, followed by the vegetable and animal oils, fats and waxes group at 11.7 percent.
In contrast, the machinery and transport equipment group recorded a decrease of 12.8 percent, followed by the inedible raw materials group, excluding fuels, at 8.7 percent, and the miscellaneous manufactured articles group at 1 percent, while the food and live animals group recorded a decrease of 0.3 percent.