Press release No. 364 of 13 October 2026
Consumer price index, September 2026:
+3.3% on the same month a year earlier (provisional result confirmed)
+0.6% on the previous month (provisional result confirmed)
Harmonised index of consumer prices, September 2026:
+3.3% on the same month a year earlier (provisional result confirmed)
+0.6% on the previous month (provisional result confirmed)
WIESBADEN − The inflation rate in Germany, measured as the year-on-year change in the consumer price index (CPI), stood at +3.3% in September 2026. The rise in consumer prices therefore intensified once again, after having stood at +2.9% in August 2026 and +2.8% in July 2026. "The rate of inflation exceeded the three percent mark in September, and therefore reached a new record high this year. This was also the highest level recorded since December 2023," says Ruth Brand, President of the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). "Once again, the development of energy prices was responsible for the increase in the inflation rate. The rise in prices was particularly evident in the price of mineral oil products at filling stations and in the price of heating oil", Brand adds. Compared with August 2026, total consumer prices rose by 0.6% in September 2026.
Energy product prices up 14.9% compared with September 2025
The prices of energy products (total) were 14.9% higher in September 2026 than in September 2025. Year on year, the rise in energy prices therefore accelerated in September 2026 for the third consecutive month (August 2026: +10.5%; July 2026: +8.3%; June 2026: +3.4%). This was the largest increase in energy prices since February 2023 (+19.1% on February 2022). The price increase which has been observed on the crude oil market (only in German) since the start of the Iran war was reflected in the energy price developments for producer prices and consumer prices. For consumers, this meant that motor fuel prices were up substantially (+37.1%) in September 2026 compared with September 2025 (August 2026: +27.7%) and heating oil registered an even higher increase of 74.9% (August 2026: +49.6%). Firewood, wood pellets and other solid fuels were also more expensive (+15.6%) in September 2026 compared with the same month of the preceding year. By contrast, the prices of electricity (-5.5%), natural gas excluding operating costs (-2.8%) and district heating (-1.0%) continued to be less expensive in September 2026 compared with a year earlier. The downward price trends registered for electricity, natural gas and district heating are in part attributable to the measures of the Federal Government which have been implemented since the beginning of the year. The relief provided by the renewed reduction of energy tax, particularly on motor fuels (fuel discount), was not yet reflected in the results for September, as the measure did not come into effect until 1 October 2026.
Food prices registered below-average increase of +0.4% compared with previous year
Food prices in September 2026 continued to register below-average growth (+0.4%) compared with the same month in the previous year, after an increase of 0.1% in August 2026. Nevertheless, some food items were considerably more expensive in September 2026 than in September 2025, including eggs (+15.2%), fresh vegetables (+12.0%) and fish, fish products and seafood (+4.5%). By contrast, lower prices were observed particularly for edible fats and oils (-15.0%, including butter: -29.5%), fresh fruit (-4.9%) and dairy products (-5.5%).
Inflation rate excluding food and energy at +2.4%
In September 2026, the inflation rate excluding energy stood at +2.1% and the inflation rate excluding heating oil and motor fuels was +1.8%. As in August and July 2026, the inflation rate excluding food and energy, often referred to as core inflation, stood at +2.4% in September 2026 and therefore remained below the overall inflation rate.
Goods prices up 3.8% on September 2025
The prices of goods (total) were 3.8% higher in September 2026 than a year earlier. Non-durable consumer goods cost 5.4% more, particularly due to the development of energy prices (+14.9%), while the prices of durable consumer goods rose by 1.0%. In addition to energy products, significant year-on-year price increases were also recorded for information processing equipment (+9.2%) and tobacco products (+5.6%), for example. By contrast, coffee, tea and cocoa (-3.3%) and household appliances
(-2.5%), for example, were less expensive.
Service prices up 2.7% year on year
The prices of services (total) increased by 2.7% in September 2026 on September 2025. The rise in service prices therefore slowed again slightly and was below the level of overall inflation. Year on year, particularly sharp price increases were registered for social protection services (+6.3%), the maintenance and repair of vehicles (+4.7%) and hairdresser services and other services for personal care (+4.3%). Package holidays (+3.8%) and water supply and miscellaneous services relating to the dwelling (+3.7%) were also substantially more expensive in September 2026 than a year earlier. Net rents exclusive of heating expenses (+1.9% on the same month of the previous year) continued to be a significant factor contributing to the overall development of prices in September 2026. The prices of other services such as telecommunications services (+0.2%) only registered a slight increase compared with a year earlier.
Prices (total) up 0.6% month on month, energy up 3.8%
Compared with August 2026, the overall consumer price index rose by 0.6% in September 2026. Energy prices increased by 3.8% month on month, with consumers paying more, in particular, for heating oil (+18.5%) and motor fuels (+6.9%, including diesel fuel: +7.5%; supergrade petrol: +6.7%). Month-on-month price increases were also observed for clothing (+5.6%) mainly due to seasonal factors.
Food prices (total) were up month on month (+0.4%, including vegetables: +3.5%, but meat and meat products: -0.5%). International flights (-7.3%) and package international holidays (-4.2%), for example, were considerably less expensive than in the previous month.
Methodological notes:
The harmonised index of consumer prices (HICP) is calculated in addition to the national consumer price index (CPI) particularly to enable comparisons within the euro area. The HICP is the key measure for quantifying price stability within the framework of European monetary policy and is generally derived from the same data material on which the national CPI is based.
Apart from the individual purposes they serve, the CPI and the HICP differ in terms of coverage, methodology and weighting.
With effect from January 2026, substantial changes have been made to the HICP with regard to methodology and the classification used. Furthermore, the HICP result uses 2025 as the index base (2025=100) as of reference month January 2026. Up-to-date information on the changes concerning the HICP is provided in a web article on the "Consumer price index" page of the website of the Federal Statistical Office. Explanatory notes and a methodological paper are also available there.
Overall index / subindex | Weighting | Change on same period of previous year | Change on the previous month | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Index | ||||
in per mill | % | |||
| 1: Core inflation | ||||
| Overall index | 1,000.00 | 126.6 | 3.3 | 0.6 |
| Food and non-alcoholic-beverages | 119.04 | 137.2 | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Food | 104.69 | 136.6 | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Non-alcoholic beverages | 14.35 | 141.1 | -0.5 | -0.1 |
| Alcoholic beverages and tobacco | 35.26 | 132.2 | 3.8 | 0.2 |
| Clothing and footwear | 42.25 | 112.3 | 0.5 | 4.8 |
| Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels | 259.25 | 120.0 | 1.9 | 0.3 |
| Actual net rent exclusive of heating expenses | 68.30 | 113.0 | 2.3 | 0.2 |
| Imputed net rent exclusive of heating expenses | 104.13 | 111.3 | 1.8 | 0.1 |
| Household energy | 43.44 | 147.4 | 0.5 | 1.2 |
| Electricity | 24.50 | 117.8 | -5.5 | 0.0 |
| Furniture, lighting equipment, appliances and other household equipment | 67.78 | 118.0 | -0.1 | -0.3 |
| Health | 55.49 | 116.8 | 5.1 | 0.1 |
| Transport | 138.22 | 140.4 | 10.8 | 1.7 |
| Motor fuels | 30.46 | 185.6 | 37.1 | 6.9 |
| Communication | 23.35 | 99.7 | 1.2 | 0.5 |
| Recreation and culture | 104.23 | 122.0 | 1.9 | -0.3 |
| Package holidays | 13.22 | 154.0 | 3.8 | -3.4 |
| Education | 9.06 | 126.2 | 3.7 | 0.8 |
| Restaurant and accommodation services | 47.20 | 137.3 | 3.1 | 0.5 |
| Miscellaneous goods and services | 98.87 | 133.0 | 3.7 | 0.1 |
| Social protection services | 27.75 | 144.7 | 6.3 | 0.4 |
| Overall index, excluding food and energy 1 | 821.41 | 122.0 | 2.4 | 0.2 |
More information:
Detailed results can be found in the tables on the consumer price index (61111-0004) and (61111-0006) and on the harmonised index of consumer prices (61121-0002) and (61121-0006) in the GENESIS-Online database. Special items shown in Tables 61111-0006 and 61121-0006 contain CPI and HICP results which are used to measure "core inflation".
Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Union, has released provisional results on Euro area inflation for September 2026 (available on Eurostat’s website under News > Euro indicators).
CPI results can also be found on the "Economic Dashboard" (www.dashboard-konjunktur.de) (only in German). In this data portal, the Federal Statistical Office brings together up-to-date indicators from official statistics producers and other data providers on the topics of the economy, finance, the labour market, construction and energy.
Data on the war in the Middle East and its consequences are provided on a special page (www.destatis.de/nahost) (only in German) on the website of the Federal Statistical Office. This page includes information on energy supply and the development of energy prices, air and maritime transport, and foreign trade with the region.
Consumers can use the Personal Inflation Calculator of the Federal Statistical Office to adapt their monthly consumption expenditure on individual product groups according to their own consumption patterns and calculate their personal inflation rate. In addition, the Price Kaleidoscope gives an overview of the price trend and the weights of various products.