Inflation in Ireland accelerates to its highest since January 2024

Consumer price inflation in Ireland accelerated to its highest level since January 2024 in September, driven by rising housing, energy and transport costs, figures from the Central Statistics Office showed on Thursday.

Ireland's consumer price index rose 4.1% in the 12 months to September, up from 3.7% in August and the highest annual rate since January 2024, when it also stood at 4.1%.

On a monthly basis, consumer prices rose 0.2%, down from 0.7% in August.

Excluding energy and unprocessed food, annual inflation stood at 3.1%.

The largest annual price increases were recorded in housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels, up 9.5%, followed by education services at 8.9% and transport at 7.5%.

Housing-related inflation reflected higher prices for home heating oil, electricity, rents, and mortgage interest repayments, while transport costs rose due to increases in diesel, petrol, and airfares.

The CSO said all 13 categories of consumer spending recorded annual price increases for the third consecutive month, a development not previously observed even during the elevated inflation period of 2022 and 2023.

On a monthly basis, clothing and footwear prices rose 2.5%, while housing and utility costs increased by 1.2%. These gains were partly offset by a 1.9% decline in recreation, sport and culture prices.

Meanwhile, services prices increased by 4.3% annually, outpacing the 3.7% rise in goods prices.

The EU-harmonised index of consumer prices rose by 3.8% annually in September, accelerating from 3.4% in August, but below the CSO's flash reading of 3.9%. On a monthly basis, harmonised prices rose 0.2%, in line with the preliminary estimate and down from 0.6% in August.

The CSO also reported that the average price of diesel reached EUR2.06 per litre in September, up 37 cents from a year earlier, while petrol increased by 24 cents to EUR1.96 per litre.

Copyright 2026 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.