Inflation in Ukraine returns to double-digit level

Consumer prices in Ukraine in September 2026 increased by 2.1% compared to August, when the price increase was only 0.1%. On an annual basis, inflation accelerated from 8.1% to 10.0%.

This is evidenced by data from the State Statistics Service of Ukraine, published on October 9.

Core inflation, which reflects a more stable dynamics of prices without the impact of certain short-term fluctuations, in September amounted to 2.0% per month and 8.8% on an annual basis. For the nine months of 2026, consumer prices increased by 8.4% compared to December of last year.

Which goods and services went up in price the most

Food and non-alcoholic beverages in September increased in price by 1.9%. The most significant increase was in the price of eggs - immediately by 43.6% per month.

Among other products, the biggest price increases were:

• sugar - by 8.3%;
• milk - by 2.9%;
• fish and fish products - by 2.1%;
• sunflower oil - by 1.8%;
• meat and meat products - by 1.7%;
• bread - by 1.0%.

At the same time, some products continued to fall in price due to seasonal factors. In particular, fruit prices decreased by 5.7%, and vegetables - by 2.3%.

An evident price increase was also registered in the clothing and footwear segment. In general, these goods increased in price by 8.5%, in particular clothing - by 9.4%, and footwear - by 7.6%.

The largest price increase among the main categories of services was education - by 17.4%. The cost of higher education grew by 23.3%, secondary education - by 14.3%. This increase coincided with the start of the new academic year.

Fuel and transport continued to get more expensive

In September, prices in the transport sector grew by 2.7%. The main factor was the increase in prices for fuel and lubricants by 5.2%. The cost of travel in automobile passenger transport increased by 2.5%.

On an annual basis, the increase in prices for fuel and lubricants reached 46.2%, and for transport services - 38.4%. In particular, automobile passenger transport increased in price by 41.7% over the year.

Meanwhile, travel in railway passenger transport in September became cheaper by 0.3%.

Utility tariffs changed

Prices in the category of housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels per month grew by 0.8%.

The biggest increase was in water supply tariffs - by 5.6% and sewage - by 5.5%. On an annual basis, these services increased in price respectively by 87.6% and 83.1%.

At the same time, according to the State Statistics Service, tariffs for electricity, natural gas, hot water and heating in September did not change.

Healthcare services per month increased in price by 1.7%, and recreation and culture - by 1.3%.

Inflation reached the forecast level of the NBU

In the July macroeconomic forecast, the National Bank of Ukraine expected inflation by the end of 2026 to accelerate to 10%.

The regulator attributed the strengthening of price pressure to the growth of budget expenditures, business costs for labor remuneration, as well as the consequences of rising fuel prices and previous depreciation of the hryvnia.

Thus, already in September, annual inflation reached the level which the NBU forecasted for the end of the year. At the same time, the September indicator is not the final inflation for 2026: the final value will depend on price changes in October-December.

Based on materials: State Statistics Service of Ukraine, NBU