MUSCAT, OMAN / RankWire.AI / – Oman’s yearly inflation rate reached 3.4% in August 2026, marking an increase after recent rises in consumer prices. Inflation was at 3.2% in July and 2.8% in June, with an average of 2.9% from January through August. The National Centre for Statistics and Information announced these figures in its August consumer price index report. The main categories with the most significant increases were transportation and food.
Transport costs rose by 8.5% from August 2025, representing the highest annual growth among key consumer sectors. Food and non-alcoholic beverages followed with a 7% rise. Other categories such as miscellaneous personal goods and services increased by 6.1%, while restaurants and hotels saw a 3.6% jump. Furniture, household equipment, and routine maintenance expenses gained 3.1%. Education costs moved up by 2.2%, and health-related expenses increased 1.7%. Prices for culture and recreation grew by a modest 0.4%.
Less dramatic shifts occurred in several other segments. Clothing and footwear edged up by 0.1%, and communication and tobacco prices remained flat compared to the previous year. Housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels saw a 0.6% decline. The August data also revealed notable differences among Oman’s governorates, with annual inflation ranging from 2.1% in Dhofar to 4.8% in Al Dhahirah, according to official consumer price figures.
Transport and food fuel August inflation
Among the governorates, Al Dhahirah experienced the highest annual inflation at 4.8%. Muscat followed with 3.9%, and Al Dakhiliyah recorded 3.8%. Al Wusta registered 3.4%, while Musandam and Al Buraimi each posted 3.3%. South Al Sharqiyah’s rate was 3.1%, with South Al Batinah at 2.7%, North Al Batinah at 2.5%, and North Al Sharqiyah at 2.2%. Dhofar had the lowest at 2.1%.
Food prices showed some of the most significant annual increases in August. Vegetables surged 19%, and fruit prices went up by 16.3%. Meat costs rose 9.8%, while non-alcoholic beverages increased by 3.5%. Other food items grew by 3.1%, with milk, cheese, and eggs up 3%. Sugar, jam, honey, and sweets gained 2.3%. Bread and cereals saw an increase of 0.8%, reflecting a wide variation in food price movements.
Prices for fresh produce surge most
Oils and fats rose by 0.1% from August 2025, whereas fish prices fell by 0.1%. Overall, food and non-alcoholic beverages increased by 7% over the year, ranking behind transport among main consumer categories. According to data from the National Centre for Statistics and Information, vegetables, fruit, and meat contributed the largest gains within food. Several other grocery segments experienced smaller increases, with fish being the only food category to decline.
The August figures continued the upward trend in Oman’s headline inflation rate over recent months. Yearly inflation climbed from 2.8% in June to 3.2% in July and 3.4% in August. In July, food and non-alcoholic beverages increased by 7.3%, and transport prices were up 6.5%. By August, transport inflation rose to 8.5%, while food inflation slightly decreased to 7%. The average inflation rate for the first eight months of 2026 remained steady at 2.9%.