Australia Food Inflation
Year-on-year change in consumer prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages.
Food Inflation in Australia decreased to 2.98 percent in Aug 2026 from 3.17 percent in Jul 2026.
Australia Food Inflation — History
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Australia Food Inflation — analysis in simple words
Latest reading
Food Inflation in Australia decreased to 2.98 percent in Aug 2026 from 3.17 percent in Jul 2026.
It has fallen in each of the last three months.
Recent trend
A year earlier (Aug 2025) it was 3.0%, so the latest figure is 0.0 percentage points higher.
Historical context
This data series starts in Apr 2025 and has 17 monthly observations. The latest reading is higher than 18% of all of them.
The highest value on record is 3.5% (Jun 2025) and the lowest is 2.8% (Apr 2026). The long-run average is 3.1%.
Compared with other countries
Among 42 economies with recent data, Australia ranks 24th from the top. The median across all these economies is 3.3%, so Australia is below the typical country.
Among 15 major economies tracked on this site it ranks 5th.
Within East Asia & Pacific (3 economies with data) it ranks 1st; the regional median is 1.0%.
Statistics
- Latest
- 3.0%Aug 2026
- Previous
- 3.2%
- 5-year average
- 3.1%
- Long-run average
- 3.1%since Apr 2025
- All-time high
- 3.5%Jun 2025
- All-time low
- 2.8%Apr 2026
- Observations
- 17Monthly
Recent Data
| Period | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 2026 | 3.0% | ▼ −0.2 pp |
| Jul 2026 | 3.2% | ▼ −0.1 pp |
| Jun 2026 | 3.3% | ▼ −0.0 pp |
| May 2026 | 3.3% | ▲ +0.5 pp |
| Apr 2026 | 2.8% | ▼ −0.3 pp |
| Mar 2026 | 3.1% | ▼ −0.0 pp |
| Feb 2026 | 3.1% | ▼ −0.0 pp |
| Jan 2026 | 3.1% | ▼ −0.3 pp |
| Dec 2025 | 3.4% | ▲ +0.1 pp |
| Nov 2025 | 3.3% | ▲ +0.1 pp |
| Oct 2025 | 3.2% | ▲ +0.0 pp |
| Sep 2025 | 3.2% | ▲ +0.2 pp |
| Aug 2025 | 3.0% | ▼ −0.1 pp |
| Jul 2025 | 3.1% | ▼ −0.4 pp |
| Jun 2025 | 3.5% | ▲ +0.6 pp |
| May 2025 | 2.9% | ▼ −0.3 pp |
| Apr 2025 | 3.2% |
Food Inflation — Australia vs Peers
Latest available reading for each economy (periods may differ). Australia highlighted.
More Australia indicators
Understanding Food Inflation — a simple guide
What it measures
The year-on-year change in the price of food and non-alcoholic beverages in the consumer price index.
How it is calculated
Year-on-year % change in the food and non-alcoholic beverages part of the CPI basket.
If vegetables, cereals and milk together cost 8% more than a year ago, food inflation is 8%.
High food inflation hurts household budgets and often lifts headline inflation.
Low or negative food inflation eases household costs but can mean lower farm incomes.
Why it matters for the economy and markets
Food is a large share of household spending, especially in emerging economies like India, so food prices strongly affect headline inflation and household budgets.
How to read it
Food inflation is volatile because of monsoon, harvests, supply problems and global commodity prices. Look at several months together rather than a single reading.
What to look at alongside it
Rainfall/monsoon, crop output, headline inflation and global food prices.
Key terms
- COICOP 01
- The international code for “food and non-alcoholic beverages” in CPI.
Data source
OECD — Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (series OECD CPI food), monthly data from Apr 2025 to Aug 2026. Values are shown exactly as published by the source and may be revised later.
How to use the chart
Use the 5Y / 10Y / 25Y / Max buttons to change the time range, or drag the slider under the chart. Hover (or tap) on the line to see the exact value for any period. Dashed lines and hatched bars are IMF projections, not actual data. The “Download CSV” button gives you the full data series.
Frequently asked questions
What is the current food inflation of Australia?
What is the highest and lowest food inflation of Australia?
What does food inflation measure?
Data are sourced from official international organisations (IMF, World Bank, BIS) and national authorities, and are shown for educational and informational purposes only. They are not investment advice and no recommendation is made. Figures may be revised by the source; IMF figures for the current and future years are projections. This page was last updated on Saturday, October 17, 2026.