The annual inflation rate rose to 10.9% in May, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics. In April 2026, the annual inflation rate reached 10.7%.
The highest price increases were recorded in services, which increased by 13.53% in a year. Non-food commodity prices rose by 12.54%, while food prices increased by 6.78%.
Regarding food products, the highest price increases were recorded in:
- Coffee +21%
- Eggs +14%
- Fish +7.8%
- Alcohol +7.7%
- Fruits +7%
- Milk and dairy products +7%
- Meat +6.2%
- Oil +6.1%
There are also price reductions on some food products such as:
- Potatoes (-11.32%)
- Cornmeal (-5.27%)
- Flour (-4.38%)
- Beans and other legumes (-3.08%)
- Sugar (-1.32%)
For non-food products, the biggest price increases were:
- Electricity +55.5%
- Diesel +36.9% (+1.5%)
- Gasoline +30.5%
- Detergents +10%
- Cigarettes +7.4%
- Clothing +7%
For services, the highest price increases were in:
- Rent +43%
- Public transportation (subscriptions) +12.7%
- Restaurants, cafes +11.7%
- Cinema, theaters, museums +9.9%
- Urban transport +9%
- Telephony +5.7%
BNR revised inflation forecast upwards
Last month, the National Bank of Romania revised upwards the inflation forecast for this year. Specifically, the NBR estimates that the annual inflation rate for the end of 2026 will be 5.5%, above the 3.9% level anticipated in the February report.
According to the NBR Governor, Mugur Isărescu, inflation is expected to rise to 11%, and then decrease.
“It will increase until July. We don't know exactly, there are many factors. It will probably go up to 11%,” said Mugur Isărescu, stating that afterwards, inflation is expected to decrease rapidly.
The NBR Governor explained that, according to current projections, inflation could reach around 6% in September, and by the end of the year, it could be around 5.5%, depending on external and internal developments.