Press release No. 392 of 11 November 2026
Consumer price index, October 2026:
+2.8% on the same month a year earlier (provisional result confirmed)
-0.2% on the previous month (provisional result confirmed)
Harmonised index of consumer prices, October 2026
+2.8% on the same month a year earlier (provisional result confirmed)
-0.1% 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 +2.8% in October 2026. The rise in consumer prices therefore slowed again (September 2026: +3.3%; August 2026: +2.9%). "The rate of inflation in October was just under three percent again", says Ruth Brand, President of the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). She adds: "The persistently high rate of inflation continued to be primarily driven by the development of energy prices, even though the new fuel discount introduced at the beginning of October is likely to have dampened inflation somewhat." Compared with September 2026, overall consumer prices fell by 0.2% in October 2026.
Energy product prices up 12.2% compared with October 2025
The prices of energy products (total) were 12.2% higher in October 2026 than in October 2025. The price growth observed for energy therefore eased to some extent. Between July and September 2026, energy prices rose steadily (September 2026: +14.9%; August 2026: +10.5%; July 2026: +8.3%). The price developments which have been observed on the crude oil market (only in German) since the start of the Iran war also had a noticeable effect in October 2026. The new fuel discount, effective since 1 October 2026, is likely to have had a downward effect on the increase in energy product prices in October 2026 compared with October 2025. While consumers had to pay considerably more for motor fuels year on year (+28.9%), the increase was not as pronounced as in September 2026 (+37.1% on September 2025).
In October 2026, the prices of heating oil rose by as much as 84.5% compared with the same month a year earlier (September 2026: +74.9%), while the prices of firewood, wood pellets and other solid fuels increased by 14.5%. By contrast, electricity (-5.2%) and natural gas excluding operating costs (-1.2%) continued to be less expensive in October 2026 than in the same month a year earlier. The downward price trends registered for electricity and natural gas are in part attributable to the measures of the Federal Government which have been implemented since the beginning of the year.
Food prices registered below-average increase of 0.4% compared with previous year
Food prices in October 2026 continued to register below-average growth (+0.4%) compared with the same month a year earlier, the same increase as recorded in September 2026 (+0.4%). Nevertheless, some food items were considerably more expensive in October 2026 than in October 2025, including eggs (+15.4%), fresh vegetables including potatoes (+11.5%) and fish, fish products and seafood (+4.5%). By contrast, lower year-on-year prices were observed particularly for edible fats and oils (-9.1%, including butter: -18.9%), dairy products (-4.7%) and fresh fruit (-2.8%).
Inflation rate excluding food and energy at +2.1%
In October 2026, the inflation rate excluding energy stood at +2.0% and the inflation rate excluding heating oil and motor fuels was +1.7%. The inflation rate excluding food and energy, often referred to as core inflation, was +2.1% in October 2026 (July to September 2026: +2.4% in each month) and therefore continued to be lower than the overall inflation rate.
Goods prices up 3.0% on October 2025
The prices of goods (total) were 3.0% higher in October 2026 than in the same month a year earlier. Non-durable consumer goods cost 4.7% more, particularly due to the development of energy prices (+12.2%), while the prices of durable consumer goods rose by 0.3%. In addition to energy products, significant year-on-year price increases were recorded for information processing equipment (+9.9%) and tobacco products (+5.9%), for example. By contrast, games, toys and hobby-related articles (-8.1%), coffee, tea and cocoa (-3.9%) and household appliances (-2.2%) were less expensive, for example.
Service prices up 2.5% year on year
The prices of services (total) in October 2026 were up 2.5% on October 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 (+6.0%), the maintenance and repair of vehicles (+4.9%) and hairdresser services and other services for personal care (+4.4%). Water supply and miscellaneous services relating to the dwelling (+3.9%) as well as package holidays and restaurant services (both +2.9%) were also substantially more expensive in October 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 October 2026. Compared with the same month of the previous year, other services only registered minor price increases or remained unchanged, for example telecommunications services (+0.0%).
Prices (total) decreased 0.2% month on month, energy down 2.1%
Compared with September 2026, the overall consumer price index was down 0.2% in October 2026. Energy prices fell by 2.1% month on month, with consumers having to pay less for motor fuels (-5.5%, including supergrade petrol: -5.8%; diesel: -5.1%), in particular, following the entry into force of the new fuel discount. Among energy products, the price of heating oil, by contrast, was significantly higher (+4.6% on September 2026). Furthermore, international flights, for example, were also more expensive than in the previous month (+11.8%), while package international holidays were less expensive (-2.4%). Food prices (total) remained practically unchanged from the previous month (+0.1%).
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 "Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices" page of the website of the Federal Statistical Office. Explanatory notes and a methodological paper are also available there.
| Overall index / subindex | Weighting | Index 2020=100 | Change on same period of previous year | Change on the previous month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| in per mill | % | |||
| 1: Core inflation | ||||
| Overall index | 1,000.00 | 126.4 | 2.8 | -0.2 |
| Food and non-alcoholic-beverages | 119.04 | 137.1 | 0.2 | -0.1 |
| Food | 104.69 | 136.7 | 0.4 | 0.1 |
| Non-alcoholic beverages | 14.35 | 139.9 | -1.6 | -0.9 |
| Alcoholic beverages and tobacco | 35.26 | 132.4 | 4.1 | 0.2 |
| Clothing and footwear | 42.25 | 113.2 | -0.1 | 0.8 |
| Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels | 259.25 | 120.4 | 2.0 | 0.3 |
| Actual net rent exclusive of heating expenses | 68.30 | 113.2 | 2.3 | 0.2 |
| Imputed net rent exclusive of heating expenses | 104.13 | 111.4 | 1.6 | 0.1 |
| Household energy | 43.44 | 148.6 | 1.4 | 0.8 |
| Electricity | 24.50 | 118.2 | -5.2 | 0.3 |
| Furniture, lighting equipment, appliances and other household equipment | 67.78 | 117.8 | -0.3 | -0.2 |
| Health | 55.49 | 116.9 | 5.1 | 0.1 |
| Transport | 138.22 | 138.8 | 8.4 | -1.1 |
| Motor fuels | 30.46 | 175.4 | 28.9 | -5.5 |
| Communication | 23.35 | 100.0 | 1.5 | 0.3 |
| Recreation and culture | 104.23 | 121.5 | 1.3 | -0.4 |
| Package holidays | 13.22 | 151.0 | 2.9 | -1.9 |
| Education | 9.06 | 126.6 | 3.9 | 0.3 |
| Restaurant and accommodation services | 47.20 | 136.9 | 2.9 | -0.3 |
| Miscellaneous goods and services | 98.87 | 133.1 | 3.3 | 0.1 |
| Social protection services | 27.75 | 145.0 | 6.0 | 0.2 |
| Overall index, excluding food and energy 1 | 821.41 | 122.1 | 2.1 | 0.1 |
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 October 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.