MUSCAT, OMAN / RankWire.AI / – Oman’s annual inflation rate reached 3.4% in August 2026, extending a recent rise in consumer prices. Inflation had stood at 3.2% in July and 2.8% in June. Average inflation for January through August reached 2.9%. The National Centre for Statistics and Information reported the latest figures in its August consumer price index data. Transport and food recorded the strongest increases among the main spending categories.
Transport prices rose 8.5% from August 2025, the largest annual increase among the major consumer groups. Food and non-alcoholic beverages followed with a 7% increase. Miscellaneous personal goods and services rose 6.1%, while restaurants and hotels increased 3.6%. Furniture, household equipment and routine household maintenance gained 3.1%. Education prices advanced 2.2%, while health costs increased 1.7%. Culture and recreation prices rose by a smaller 0.4%.
Price changes were more limited in several other categories. Clothing and footwear increased 0.1%, while communications and tobacco prices remained unchanged from a year earlier. Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels declined 0.6%. The August data also showed clear differences across Oman’s governorates. Annual inflation ranged from 2.1% in Dhofar to 4.8% in Al Dhahirah, according to the official consumer price figures.
Transport and food drive August price growth
Al Dhahirah posted the highest annual inflation rate among the governorates at 4.8%. Muscat followed at 3.9%, while Al Dakhiliyah recorded 3.8%. Al Wusta registered 3.4%, and Musandam and Al Buraimi each posted 3.3%. South Al Sharqiyah recorded 3.1%. South Al Batinah stood at 2.7%, followed by North Al Batinah at 2.5% and North Al Sharqiyah at 2.2%. Dhofar recorded the lowest rate at 2.1%.
Food prices showed some of the sharpest annual gains in the August basket. Vegetables rose 19%, while fruit prices increased 16.3%. Meat prices climbed 9.8%, and non-alcoholic beverages gained 3.5%. Other food products increased 3.1%, while milk, cheese and eggs rose 3%. Sugar, jam, honey and sweets advanced 2.3%. Bread and cereals increased 0.8%, highlighting the wide range of price movements within the food category.
Fresh produce records the steepest increases
Oils and fats increased 0.1% from August 2025, while fish prices declined 0.1%. The broader food and non-alcoholic beverages group still rose 7% over the year. That increase ranked behind transport among the main consumer categories. The National Centre for Statistics and Information data showed that vegetables, fruit and meat contributed the largest gains within food. Several other grocery categories posted smaller increases, while fish was the only listed food segment to decline.
The August result continued the upward movement in Oman’s headline inflation rate during recent months. Annual inflation rose from 2.8% in June to 3.2% in July and 3.4% in August. In July, food and non-alcoholic beverages had increased 7.3%, while transport prices were 6.5% higher. By August, transport inflation had climbed to 8.5%, while food inflation eased to 7%. Average inflation remained at 2.9% for the first eight months of 2026.