Ukraine's annual consumer price inflation accelerated to 8.1 percent in August 2026, driven by higher costs for fuel and transport services, according to data from the State Statistics Service of Ukraine.
Consumer prices in August rose by 0.1 percent compared to July, pushing the year-on-year rate up from the 7.7 percent reported in the previous month.
Monthly price growth remained modest overall due to seasonal drops in produce costs. Prices for food and non-alcoholic beverages fell by 1.3 percent from July. Vegetables saw the largest drop at 18.3 percent, while fruit prices fell by 12 percent.
However, several other staple food categories recorded monthly price increases of between 0.6 percent and 4 percent. These included eggs, sugar, fish and fish products, meat and meat products, cheeses, bread, pasta products, and fermented milk products.
Non-food items and services saw sharper increases during August. Fuel and lubricants recorded an 8.1 percent monthly price rise, while road passenger transport fares increased by 6.6 percent. Alcohol and tobacco prices climbed 1.5 percent, boosted by a 2.1 percent increase in tobacco products. Conversely, clothing and footwear prices fell by 2.5 percent, with footwear down 3.1 percent and clothing down 2.2 percent.
Annual breakdown of consumer goods
Looking at year-on-year changes since August 2025, overall food prices increased by 6 percent across Ukraine. Fish recorded the steepest rise over the 12-month period at 22.7 percent, while sunflower oil increased by 21.8 percent and bread and bakery products rose by 18.6 percent.
Not all grocery items were more expensive than a year earlier. Egg prices fell by 24.1 percent compared to August 2025, fruit prices dropped by 11.3 percent, and sugar prices decreased by 5.1 percent.
Transport and energy costs posted the largest annual increases overall. Fuel and lubricants were 38.7 percent more expensive in August 2026 than in the same month of 2025, while transport services rose by 35.9 percent. Alcohol and tobacco products registered a 17 percent annual increase.
Central bank projections and earlier trends
The State Statistics Service measures monthly price index updates across Ukrainian retail markets to track domestic economic conditions. The latest statistics align with recent adjustments made by the National Bank of Ukraine, the nation's central bank responsible for monetary policy. In July 2026, the central bank revised its inflation forecast upward, projecting annual inflation would reach 10 percent by the end of 2026, compared to a previous forecast of 9.4 percent.
The August acceleration marks a reversal from trends recorded earlier in the summer. In June 2026, consumer prices in Ukraine showed their first monthly decline of the year. That month, annual inflation slowed to 7.2 percent, down from 8.2 percent recorded in May 2026.
