Consumer Price Index (Base 2024=100) for May 2026 released

📌 Summary:

• Headline retail inflation (CPI, base 2024=100) for May 2026 stood at 3.93% (provisional) y-o-y, up from 3.48% (final) in April 2026
• Rural inflation 4.25%, urban inflation 3.53%
• Consumer Food Price Index (CFPI) inflation 4.78% (rural 4.85%, urban 4.66%)
• Housing inflation 2.12% (rural 2.73%, urban 1.91%)
• Lowest-inflation items: Potato (-23.71%), Peas (-11.47%), Motor car/jeep (-7.19%), Cumin (-4.59%)
• Highest-inflation items: Silver jewellery (155.23%), Tomato (48.43%), Gold/diamond/platinum jewellery (40.93%), Ginger (32.49%)
• Compiled and released by the National Statistical Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI)

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS3 Economy — inflation measurement, CPI vs CFPI, and the linkage to RBI's flexible inflation-targeting framework (4% ±2%).

📝 Prelims Facts:

• CPI base year revised to 2024=100
• CPI is compiled by NSO under MoSPI; WPI is released by the Office of the Economic Adviser, DPIIT
• RBI uses headline CPI as the nominal anchor for monetary policy

🔑 Key Term: CFPI — Consumer Food Price Index, measures retail-level food inflation.