Muscat: Oman’s inflation rate reached 3.2 percent in September 2026 compared with the same month in 2025, driven primarily by rising food prices, according to the Consumer Price Index issued by the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI).
The average inflation rate during the January–September 2026 period stood at approximately 3 percent.
Food and non-alcoholic beverages recorded the highest annual price increase at 8 percent, followed by transport at 4.8 percent and miscellaneous personal goods and services at 4.7 percent.
Prices also increased in restaurants and hotels by 3.6 percent, furniture, household equipment and routine maintenance by 3.3 percent, education by 2.2 percent, health by 1.7 percent, and culture and entertainment by 0.4 percent.
Clothing and footwear, as well as housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels, recorded marginal increases of 0.1 percent each. Prices in the communications and tobacco groups remained unchanged compared with September 2025.
At the governorate level, Al Dhahirah recorded the highest inflation rate at 4.4 percent, followed by Al Wusta at 3.9 percent, Al Dakhiliyah at 3.6 percent and South Al Sharqiyah at 3.4 percent.
Muscat recorded an inflation rate of 3.3 percent, while Musandam stood at 3 percent and North Al Batinah at 2.9 percent. North Al Sharqiyah and Al Buraimi each recorded 2.8 percent, followed by South Al Batinah at 2.6 percent. Dhofar registered the lowest rate at 2.1 percent.
Within the food and non-alcoholic beverages group, vegetable prices surged by 20.1 percent year-on-year, the highest increase among the subgroups. Fruit prices rose by 16.3 percent, meat by 10.3 percent and fish by 5 percent.
Other increases included food products not classified elsewhere at 3.8 percent, non-alcoholic beverages at 3.7 percent, milk, cheese and eggs at 3.4 percent, and sugar, jam, honey and sweets at 2.9 percent.
Bread and cereals prices increased by 1.4 percent, while oils and fats recorded a marginal rise of 0.1 percent compared with September 2025.
/Oman News Agency/