MUSCAT, OMAN / RankWire.AI / – Oman’s annual inflation rate rose to 3.4% in August 2026 as transport, food and several service categories recorded higher prices. The rate compared with 3.2% in July and marked another monthly increase in annual consumer price growth. Average inflation for the first eight months of 2026 stood at 2.9%. The National Centre for Statistics and Information reported the figures in its August consumer price index data.
Transport recorded the strongest annual increase among the main consumer price groups, rising 8.5% from August 2025. Food and non-alcoholic beverages climbed 7%, while miscellaneous personal goods and services increased 6.1%. Restaurants and hotels rose 3.6%, and furniture, household equipment and routine household maintenance advanced 3.1%. Education prices increased 2.2%, health costs rose 1.7%, and culture and recreation prices edged up 0.4% over the same period.
Clothing and footwear prices increased 0.1% over the year, while communications and tobacco prices were unchanged. Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels fell 0.6%, making that category the only main group to decline. The August figures showed different price movements across the consumer basket, with transport and food recording the largest increases. Inflation also varied across Oman’s governorates, with annual rates ranging from 2.1% to 4.8%.
Transport and food lead annual increases
Al Dhahirah recorded the highest governorate inflation rate in August at 4.8%. Muscat followed at 3.9%, while Al Dakhiliyah posted 3.8% and Al Wusta registered 3.4%. Musandam and Al Buraimi each recorded 3.3%, while South Al Sharqiyah reached 3.1%. South Al Batinah stood at 2.7%, North Al Batinah at 2.5%, and North Al Sharqiyah at 2.2%. These figures measure annual price changes within each governorate.
Dhofar recorded the lowest governorate inflation rate at 2.1%. Within food and non-alcoholic beverages, vegetables posted the largest annual increase, rising 19% from August 2025. Fruit prices climbed 16.3%, while meat increased 9.8% and non-alcoholic beverages rose 3.5%. Prices for other food products increased 3.1%, while milk, cheese and eggs advanced 3%. The figures show that fresh produce registered some of the largest food price increases.
Vegetables and fruit record sharpest food gains
Sugar, jam, honey and sweets rose 2.3%, while bread and cereals increased 0.8%. Oils and fats edged up 0.1%, while fish prices declined 0.1% from a year earlier. The food breakdown showed much larger increases for vegetables, fruit and meat than for several other grocery categories. Those changes formed part of the 7% annual increase in the broader food and non-alcoholic beverages group measured by the August consumer price index.
The August reading extended the recent rise in Oman’s annual inflation rate after the 3.2% recorded in July. In July, food and non-alcoholic beverages had risen 7.3%, while transport prices increased 6.5% from a year earlier. By August, transport inflation had strengthened to 8.5%, while food inflation eased to 7%. NCSI data placed average inflation at 2.9% for January through August, providing a broader measure of consumer price growth during 2026.