The consumer inflation rate accelerated sharply in Italy in September 2026, with the national CPI rising 4.2% year on year compared with 3.3% in August, according to Istat.
Consumer prices increased by 0.7% during September. The harmonised index of consumer prices increased by 4.1% year on year, up from 3.2% in August.
Energy price surge
The acceleration was concentrated in several categories, the data showed. Regulated energy prices increased by 25.9% year on year in September, compared with 18.6% in August, Istat noted. Non-regulated energy prices rose 22.2%, up from 17.0%.
Unprocessed food prices increased 5.5%, compared with 3.8% in August. Services connected with recreation, including repair and personal-care services, increased 2.9%, compared with 2.6%. Transport services inflation rose to 1.6% from 0.8%.
Core inflation
Core inflation, excluding energy and unprocessed food, increased to 1.7% from 1.5%, according to Istat. Inflation excluding energy increased to 2.0% from 1.7%.
Grocery and unprocessed food prices increased 0.6% during the month and were 1.7% higher than a year earlier, compared with annual inflation of 0.9% in August.
The monthly increase in the national CPI was primarily driven by regulated energy, which rose 5.9% in September, and non-regulated energy, which rose 4.4%. Unprocessed food increased 2.2%, while recreation, repair and personal-care services increased 0.5%.
A number of categories also recorded monthly price decreases. Transport services fell 2.5% and processed food, including alcohol, fell 0.3%.
‘In September 2026, according to preliminary estimates, the Italian harmonised index of consumer prices (HICP) recorded a month-on-month change of +2.0% (due to the summer sales not considered by NIC) and a year-on-year increase of +4.1% (from +3.2% in the previous month),’ Istat commented. Read more here.
