Our Bureau
Mumbai
India’s wholesale price-based inflation rose to 9.92% in August 2026, up from 9.78% in July, as higher fuel, food and manufactured-product prices continued to put pressure on the economy, according to provisional government data released on Monday. The latest reading is the second-highest in the current WPI series, which uses 2022–23 as its base year.
Fuel and power prices recorded the sharpest increase, with inflation accelerating to 22.93% in August from 20.05% in July. Within the category, petroleum and natural gas prices rose 34.41% year-on-year, compared with 26.99% in the previous month. The increase reflects the impact of higher global energy costs on domestic wholesale prices.
Food inflation also strengthened, rising to 7.05% from 6.65% in July. Meanwhile, inflation in manufactured products edged up to 8.37% from 8.29%, indicating continued cost pressures across industrial goods.
The rise came despite some moderation in primary articles inflation, which eased to 7.76% from 8.52% in July. The overall WPI index increased to 110.8 in August from 110.0 a month earlier.
Economists attributed the renewed pressure partly to rising global energy prices amid the continuing West Asia crisis. Analysts warned that elevated fuel costs could keep producer prices and industrial input costs under pressure, squeezing business margins.