India Retail Inflation Inches Up to 3.48% in April 2026

India’s retail inflation, measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), edged up marginally to 3.48 per cent in April 2026 from 3.40 per cent in March, according to data released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation(MoSPI). Despite the slight increase, inflation remained below the Reserve Bank of India’s medium-term target of 4 per cent.

Rural inflation during the month stood at 3.74 per cent, while urban inflation was lower at 3.16 per cent. Food inflation, tracked through the Consumer Food Price Index (CFPI), rose to 4.20 per cent in April compared to 3.87 per cent in March. Rural food inflation came in at 4.26 per cent, while urban food inflation was recorded at 4.10 per cent.

Among food items, prices of vegetables such as tomatoes and cauliflower remained elevated. Tomato inflation surged 35.28 per cent year-on-year, while cauliflower prices rose 25.58 per cent. Coconut copra prices also stayed high, registering inflation of 44.55 per cent.

Precious metals and jewellery continued to witness sharp price increases. Silver jewellery recorded the highest inflation at 144.34 per cent, while gold, diamond and platinum jewellery prices rose 40.72 per cent.
However, some essential vegetables saw significant price declines. Potato prices recorded a deflation of 23.69 per cent, while onion prices dropped 17.67 per cent compared to the same period last year.

Housing inflation for April stood at 2.15 per cent, with rural housing inflation at 2.65 per cent and urban housing inflation at 1.96 per cent. Transport inflation remained nearly flat at minus 0.01 per cent.
Among states and Union Territories with populations above 50 lakh, Telangana recorded the highest inflation at 5.81 per cent, while Mizoram reported the lowest at 0.69 per cent.