Wiesbaden, 11 November 2026 – Consumer prices in Germany in the October 2026 were 2.8 per cent higher than in the same month a year earlier. Prices fell by 0.2 per cent compared with September 2026. The Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) announced the figures. After 3.3 per cent in September and 2.9 per cent in August, price rises slowed again.
“The inflation rate was again just under three per cent in October,” said Ruth Brand, President of the Federal Statistical Office. The main reason for the continued high rate of inflation remains the trend in energy prices. At the same time, the fuel discount reintroduced at the start of October curbed fuel price rises, Brand said. The month-on-month fall points to short-term relief, although it is significantly influenced by energy and individual government measures.
Inflation is measured using the Consumer Price Index, which tracks average price changes for a representative basket of goods purchased by private households. Destatis stresses that energy prices are currently moving more independently of the broader price trend than many other groups of goods and services. While the energy component pushes up the annual rate, many other goods and services are seeing more moderate price changes.
The so-called core inflation rate, which excludes energy and food, is often used for context. It provides an indication of the underlying price trend, which is less affected by volatile components. According to the Wiesbaden-based authority, core inflation remained below overall inflation in October. Both energy price trends and core inflation therefore play a key role in monetary policy assessments.
The slowdown compared with September is consistent with a gradual return to normal after the sharp price surges of recent years. The situation nevertheless remains mixed: government measures such as the fuel discount can have a marked temporary effect on monthly rates, while structural factors – such as global energy prices, exchange rates and indirect effects in supply chains – determine the medium-term price trend. Against this background, Europäische Zentralbank and national institutions closely monitor the data to distinguish temporary exceptional effects from lasting trends.
The latest figures from Wiesbaden are the immediate trigger for this report. As usual, Destatis will provide further detailed analyses, for example by product group, in its specialist statistical publications. For private households, the key question remains how energy prices and the general price level will develop in the coming months; this will determine whether the recent monthly easing continues or whether sharper rises are to be expected again.
Editor: Daniel Mayer (Article created with AI assistance).