Austria’s annual inflation rate rose to 3.6% in September 2026 from 3.2% in August, reaching its highest level since May, preliminary estimates showed. The increase was driven entirely by higher fuel and heating oil prices, with energy inflation accelerating to 14.5% year-on-year from 9.9%. Services remained the largest contributor to inflation, although services price growth eased to 4.2% from 4.4%. Inflation for food, tobacco and alcohol accelerated to 1.0% from 0.3%, while industrial goods prices rose 0.7%. Core inflation, which excludes energy and food, increased to 3.0%. Consumer prices rose 0.2% month-on-month in September, slowing from 0.6% in the preceding period, a six-month high.