# Dutch inflation rises to 3.7% in October

> Consumer prices were 3.7% higher than a year earlier, up from 3.4% in September, with gas the main driver, the statistics office CBS reports.

Economy · published 2026-11-10 05:54 · https://nlnow.nl/a/dutch-inflation-rises-to-3-7-in-october-as-gas-prices-climb/

Consumer goods and services were 3.7% more expensive in October 2026 than a year earlier, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) says. Inflation was 3.4% in September. The October figure is the same as the preliminary estimate published on 4 November.

Prices were 0.7% higher than in September. Over the past ten years, October prices averaged 0.5% above September. Only in October 2021 and 2022 was the monthly rise bigger than this year.

Energy drove the rise. Gas was 11.7% more expensive than a year earlier, against 7.4% in September. Food also pushed inflation up: prices fell 1.1% year on year, after a 1.7% fall in September.

Motor fuels held inflation down. Petrol was 22.6% more expensive than a year earlier (27.3% in September) and diesel 44.4% (45.8%).

**Inflation is at its highest level this year** (% change on a year earlier; source: CBS)

- Jan 2026: 2.4
- Feb 2026: 2.4
- Mar 2026: 2.7
- Apr 2026: 2.8
- May 2026: 3.5
- Jun 2026: 2.9
- Jul 2026: 3.2
- Aug 2026: 3.3
- Sep 2026: 3.4
- Oct 2026: 3.7

On the European harmonised measure (HICP), Dutch inflation rose from 3.0% to 3.3%. In the eurozone it rose from 3.8% to 4.0%. CBS says eurozone inflation was higher because food, drink and tobacco cost more than a year earlier there but less in the Netherlands, and because energy, including motor fuels, rose more.

From 2026, both measures use a new base year: 2025=100 instead of 2015=100.

## Background

- **CBS (Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek)**: Statistics Netherlands, the independent government body that produces the official statistics on the Dutch economy and society.
- **HICP (Geharmoniseerde Consumentenprijsindex)**: The Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices is the inflation measure used across the European Union to compare consumer price changes between countries. It is calculated with the same method in every member state, so it differs from the national consumer price index (consumentenprijsindex, CPI) that CBS uses for the Netherlands. The European Central Bank bases its inflation target on this measure.

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