The annual inflation rate in Romania rose to 6.6% in September 2026 from 6.2% in the previous month, above market expectations of 6.45%. The acceleration was driven by faster price growth in food goods (3.0% vs. 2.6%) and non-food goods (7.1% vs. 6.4%). Among food items, prices increased for bread and bakery products (4.8%), milk and dairy products (4.6%), and meat and meat products (4.1%). Fuel prices remained a key contributor to inflation, with petrol and diesel prices surging by 28.4% and 37.6%, respectively. Meanwhile, services inflation eased slightly to 11.1% from 11.3% in August. On a monthly basis, consumer prices grew by 0.77% in August, accelerating slightly from 0.22% increase in the preceding period. Meanwhile, the HICP-based annual inflation rate rose to 6.5% from 6.3% in August.