Dutch Inflation Rises to 3.7% in October, Its Highest Since April 2025
Dutch inflation rose to 3.7% in October from 3.4% in September, its highest annual rate since the spring of last year, according to a flash estimate from Statistics Netherlands.
For Dutch households the rise is broader than fuel alone. Energy, food and other industrial goods all posted higher annual rates in October, while services stayed at 3.9%. In The Edge’s reading, with services flat, those category readings, along with higher prices paid abroad, suggest the October pressure lay beyond services. The flash gives no contributions by category; the full release follows on 10 November.
Annual inflation rises for a fourth straight month
The annual rate gained 0.3 percentage point in October. It has now risen in each month since June, when it stood at 2.9%.
The latest reading is the highest since April 2025, when inflation reached 4.1%. It matches the 3.7% of March 2025.
The year began on a softer note. Inflation was 2.4% in both January and February, so the rate has climbed 1.3 points since then.
Inflation was lower a year ago. It stood at 3.1% in October last year, so this October’s rate is 0.6 point higher.
Annual CPI inflation, 2026 against 2025 (%)
| Month | 2026 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| January | 2.4 | 3.3 |
| February | 2.4 | 3.8 |
| March | 2.7 | 3.7 |
| April | 2.8 | 4.1 |
| May | 3.5 | 3.3 |
| June | 2.9 | 3.1 |
| July | 3.2 | 2.9 |
| August | 3.3 | 2.8 |
| September | 3.4 | 3.3 |
| October | 3.7 | 3.1 |
Change in the consumer price index on the same month a year earlier; October 2026 is the flash estimate, all other months as published.
A strong monthly rise lifts the annual rate
Consumer prices rose 0.7% in October from September, according to the flash estimate. Over the past 10 years, October prices have been 0.5% higher than September’s on average, the statistics office said.
The comparison month also matters. In October last year the index rose 0.4%. It moved from 100.97 to 101.37 points on the 2025 base. A monthly gain larger than the one it replaces lifts the annual rate, and October’s 0.7% did exactly that.
September had been quiet by contrast. Prices rose only 0.1% that month, close to the 10-year norm of no change between August and September.
Energy, food and goods all move up
Energy prices, including motor fuels, were 14.4% higher than a year earlier in October. That is up from 13.8% in September and remains the fastest rate among the product groups the flash covers.
Food, beverages and tobacco were still cheaper than a year ago, but by less. Their annual rate rose to minus 0.6% from minus 1.2%, so food is now a smaller drag on the total.
Non-energy industrial goods rose 1.9% on the year after 1.5%. Services were unchanged at 3.9%.
Consumption abroad, a separate group in the index, showed the sharpest step. Its prices rose 8.6% on the year, from 7.7% in September.
Dutch consumer prices by product group, flash estimate (annual change, %)
| Product group | October | September |
|---|---|---|
| All items | 3.7 | 3.4 |
| Food, beverages and tobacco | -0.6 | -1.2 |
| Energy including motor fuels | 14.4 | 13.8 |
| Non-energy industrial goods | 1.9 | 1.5 |
| Services | 3.9 | 3.9 |
| Consumption abroad | 8.6 | 7.7 |
Change on the same month a year earlier, as published in the October 2026 flash estimate; the full breakdown of all categories follows on 10 November.
Motor fuels drove the September increase
The October flash does not name drivers, but the September release did. There, the statistics office said inflation rose mainly because of higher motor fuel prices.
Motor fuels were 27.2% more expensive in September than a year earlier, after 23.4% in August. Diesel rose most sharply.
A litre of diesel averaged 2.499 euros in September against 2.369 euros in August. That is a rise of 5.5% in a month. Petrol cost 2.448 euros a litre, up from 2.333 euros, a gain of 4.9%.
The fuel index has climbed in steps this year. It jumped 12.0% in March alone, dipped in June, and by September stood at 128.27 points on the 2025 base, against 103.94 in January.
Two categories carried most of the September rate. Housing and utilities added 1.03 points and transport 1.02 points. Together they made up more than half of the 3.4% total.
Food and non-alcoholic beverages weighed the other way, subtracting 0.21 point. Mobile charges also pushed inflation up in September, the statistics office said.
Largest contributions to the annual CPI rate (percentage points)
| Category | September | August |
|---|---|---|
| Housing and utilities | 1.03 | 0.99 |
| Transport | 1.02 | 0.95 |
| Consumption abroad | 0.42 | 0.40 |
| Restaurants and accommodation services | 0.30 | 0.27 |
| Recreation, sport and culture | 0.26 | 0.20 |
| Food and non-alcoholic beverages | -0.21 | -0.11 |
Contribution of each spending category to the year-on-year change in the CPI, from the September 2026 release; the five largest positive contributions in September and the only negative one are shown.
The harmonised measure runs lower than the euro area’s
On the European harmonised index, Dutch inflation was 3.3% in October, up from 3.0% in September. The gap with the national CPI is 0.4 point in both months.
That harmonised rate sat well below the euro-area average in September, the latest month the Dutch release compares. Euro-area inflation was 3.8% that month, 0.8 point above the Dutch rate.
The statistics office pointed to energy and food. Energy prices rose 18.8% on the year across the euro area in September, against 14.0% in the Netherlands, and food was dearer on the year in the euro area but cheaper in the Netherlands.
Services run the other way. Dutch services inflation was 3.8% on the harmonised measure, 0.6 point above the euro-area rate.
Harmonised inflation by product group, September 2026 (annual change, %)
| Product group | Dutch | Euro area |
|---|---|---|
| All items | 3.0 | 3.8 |
| Food, beverages and tobacco | -1.2 | 1.4 |
| Energy including motor fuels | 14.0 | 18.8 |
| Non-energy industrial goods | 1.5 | 1.1 |
| Services | 3.8 | 3.2 |
Harmonised index of consumer prices, change on the same month a year earlier, as published with the September 2026 Dutch release.
A flash built on incomplete data
The October figure is an early estimate. The statistics office said it rests on source data that is not yet complete, and the full release on 10 November will give the final rate.
The previous estimate proved accurate. September’s flash of 3.4% was confirmed unchanged in the full release of 13 October.
What to watch: the statistics office publishes the full October CPI, with price changes for every category, on 10 November.
Figures are from Statistics Netherlands’ October flash estimate of 4 November 2026 and its full September release of 13 October 2026, including the CPI and HICP tables published with them (2025 = 100); changes, differences and comparisons not attributed to a source are The Edge’s calculations.
Sources: Statistics Netherlands, The Edge.
