In September 2026, consumer prices in Germany were 3.3% higher than a year earlier and up 0.6% compared to August. These figures were published by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), which attributed the rise in the annual rate primarily to energy price dynamics.
- +3.3%: consumer price index change compared to September 2025; +0.6%: change compared to August 2026.
- Energy overall rose by 14.9% year-on-year, while electricity and natural gas excluding ancillary charges remained below prior-year levels.
- The aggregate index reflects an average consumer basket. Destatis provides an interactive calculator to calculate personalized inflation based on household spending patterns.
What the Headline Rate Measures
Destatis calculates annual inflation as the year-on-year change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI / VPI). Consequently, the September rate of 3.3% is benchmarked against September 2025. The separate 0.6% figure reflects the month-on-month change compared to August 2026. Annual inflation stood at 2.8% in July and 2.9% in August.
The index aggregates consumer goods and services across weighted expenditure categories. As a result, the headline rate does not imply that every individual price or individual household’s expenses increased by exactly 3.3%.
Energy Drives the Annual Increase
According to Destatis, energy prices were 14.9% higher than in September 2025, with the agency identifying this increase as the primary driver of the headline inflation rate. Motor fuels (+37.1%) and light heating oil (+74.9%) saw particularly sharp increases. Conversely, electricity fell by 5.5% and natural gas excluding operational charges declined by 2.8% year-on-year.
Destatis noted that higher crude oil prices observed since the outbreak of conflict in Iran fed into producer and consumer price indices. The press release does not provide a separate numerical estimate of the conflict’s specific contribution to the overall 3.3% rate.
Varying Price Developments Across Categories
In annual terms, food prices edged up by 0.4%, while services increased by 2.7%. Sub-categories showed divergent trends: eggs rose by 15.2%, whereas butter fell by 29.5%. Core inflation—excluding food and energy—stood at 2.4%.
Because the average index does not capture individual consumption profiles, Destatis offers a personal inflation calculator to track customized household spending categories. The release also points to consumer basket weighting schedules and underlying price series in the GENESIS database.