Inflation reaches two-year high of 3.7% in April -CSO

Michael Bolton

Inflation rose by 3.7 per cent in April 2026 from April 2025, up from an annual increase of 3.6 per cent in the 12 months to March 2026, according to the Central Statistics Office.

The increase was largely driven by energy-price rises - including for home heating oil, which has surged in cost by more than 80 per cent in the past year.

This was the highest annual rate of inflation observed in the Consumer Price Index since January 2024, when the rate of inflation was 4.1 per cent.

Excluding Energy and Unprocessed Food, the CPI grew by 2.6 per cent in the 12 months to April 2026.

CSO figures also show diesel prices are up by 26.1 per cent since April 2025 to an average price of €2.17 per litre

The largest increases in the 12 months to April 2026 were Education Services (+8.9 per cent), Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas & Other Fuels (+8.1 per cent) and Clothing & Footwear (+7.9 per cent).

The only decline when compared with April 2025 was Furnishings, Household Equipment & Routine Household Maintenance, which dropped by 0.6 per cent.

Consumer prices rose by 0.5 per cent in the month between March 2026 and April 2026.

The divisions with the largest rises in the month were Information & Communication (+1.6 per cent) and Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas & Other Fuels (+1.1 per cent).