India’s WPI inflation surged to a 2026 high of 8.3% in April, sharply higher than 3.88% recorded in March, 2.26% in February and 1.68% in January.
The Wholesale Price Index (WPI) for April stood at 167.0, up from 160.8 in March, 158.4 in February and 157.6 in January.
The government said that the sharp rise in inflation came mainly due to a steep rise in fuel, petroleum and manufacturing-related prices. “Positive rate of inflation in April, 2026 is primarily due to increase in prices of mineral oils, crude petroleum & natural gas, basic metals, other manufacturing and non-food articles etc,” the government release said.
Fuel and power inflation spikes
Fuel and power inflation rose sharply to 24.71% YoY in April from 1.05% in March, emerging as the biggest contributor to the rise in headline wholesale inflation.
The fuel and power index increased 18.22% month-on-month in April as mineral oil prices surged 29.37% during the month.
Crude petroleum and natural gas inflation climbed to 67.18% year-on-year, while crude petroleum inflation alone stood at 88.06%.
Petrol inflation came in at 32.40%, while high-speed diesel (HSD) inflation stood at 25.19%. LPG inflation was recorded at 10.92%.
Manufactured goods prices climb
Electricity prices, however, declined by 2.53% in April compared to March. Primary Articles inflation increased to 9.17 per cent in April from 6.36 per cent in March, while Manufactured Products inflation rose to 4.62 per cent from 3.39 per cent.
The Food Index-based wholesale inflation also moved higher to 2.31 per cent in April from 1.85 per cent in March.
The month-on-month change in overall WPI for April 2026 stood at 3.86% compared to March 2026.
Crude at $106, LPG prices up
The WPI inflation data comes against the backdrop of surging crude oil prices due to the prolonged blockade of the Strait of Hormuz amid the Iran-US war. Brent crude is hovering $106.69 per barrel today.
Important to note, while the government kept retail fuel prices unchanged for consumers, it increased domestic LPG prices by Rs 60 per 14.2-kg cylinder on March 7, 2026. Following the hike, the price of a domestic LPG cylinder in Delhi rose from around Rs 853 to Rs 913.
Commercial LPG cylinders (19 kg) also saw a sharp price increase from May 1, 2026. Prices were raised by nearly Rs 993 nationwide in a single revision due to rising global energy costs and the West Asia crisis.