Reserve Bank of India survey shows household one-year inflation expectations rising to 10% in September

Key facts

• The Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) September 2026 Inflation Expectations Survey of Households showed median one-year-ahead inflation expectations rising 60 basis points to 10 per cent, up from 9.4 per cent in July.
• Median three-month-ahead inflation expectations climbed 70 basis points to 9.9 per cent from 9.2 per cent in the July round.
• Current median inflation perception among households rose 60 basis points to 8.4 per cent in September from 7.8 per cent in July.
• 88.9 per cent of respondents anticipate a rise in general prices over the coming year, and 81.9 per cent expect prices to increase over the next three months.
• 84.9 per cent of respondents expect food prices to escalate over the next three months, making food costs the primary driver of concern.
• The survey was conducted between September 10 and September 20, 2026, across 19 major cities with 5,987 respondents.
• The findings follow the Monetary Policy Committee's decision on October 7 to hike the benchmark repo rate by 25 basis points to 5.50 per cent.