November 14: Puducherry had the highest retail inflation of any Indian state or union territory in October 2026, at 7.96%, while Mizoram had the lowest, at 2.85%, according to official consumer price data released on Thursday. The all-India rate was 6.09%. Among India’s smaller states and union territories, only Puducherry and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu were above the national figure.
Key highlights
- Highest: Puducherry 7.96%, then Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu 7.59%.
- Lowest: Mizoram 2.85%, Andaman and Nicobar Islands 3.46%, Meghalaya 3.63%.
- Close to the national rate: Jharkhand 5.90% and Uttarakhand 5.41%.
- Chandigarh: 5.23%, an urban-only figure because the city has no rural market in the survey.
- National: 6.09% in October, up from 5.54% in September.
October 2026 inflation, smaller states and union territories
| State / UT | Rural | Urban | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Puducherry | 8.03% | 7.93% | 7.96% |
| Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu | 6.61% | 7.92% | 7.59% |
| Jharkhand | 6.44% | 4.86% | 5.90% |
| Uttarakhand | 5.84% | 4.66% | 5.41% |
| Sikkim | 5.65% | 4.48% | 5.25% |
| Chandigarh | — | 5.23% | 5.23% |
| Lakshadweep | 5.68% | 4.92% | 5.13% |
| Meghalaya | 3.80% | 3.16% | 3.63% |
| Andaman and Nicobar Islands | 3.86% | 3.03% | 3.46% |
| Mizoram | 3.19% | 2.58% | 2.85% |
| All India | 6.63% | 5.41% | 6.09% |
Villages vs cities
In most of these states, prices rose faster in villages than in towns. Jharkhand had the widest gap, with rural inflation 1.58 percentage points above urban. Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu was the exception: its urban inflation, at 7.92%, was 1.31 points higher than its rural rate.
Our calculation
| State / UT | Gap from the all-India 6.09% |
|---|---|
| Puducherry | +1.87 points |
| Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu | +1.50 points |
| Jharkhand | −0.19 points |
| Uttarakhand | −0.68 points |
| Sikkim | −0.84 points |
| Chandigarh | −0.86 points |
| Lakshadweep | −0.96 points |
| Meghalaya | −2.46 points |
| Andaman and Nicobar Islands | −2.63 points |
| Mizoram | −3.24 points |
The statistics ministry cautions that figures for smaller states can rest on thin samples, so month-to-month swings there should be read with care.
What it means for India and Asia
The national average hides wide differences. A household in Puducherry faced price rises almost three times as fast as one in Mizoram last month. For state governments, the figures are a guide to where price monitoring and public distribution need the most attention. For the Reserve Bank of India, which meets on December 2–4, the national figure is what counts, and it is now above the 6.0% the RBI projected for the October–December quarter.
What to watch
- November CPI, due on December 14.
- Whether food prices ease in the high-inflation territories as new crops arrive.
Aizawl, the capital of Mizoram, which recorded India’s lowest retail inflation in October 2026. Image: Robjersey, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons. Photo source · Licence
Sources
- MoSPI: Press release of CPI (base 2024=100) for October 2026, Annexure III (PDF)
- RBI: Resolution of the Monetary Policy Committee, October 5–7, 2026
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