According to the National Centre for Statistics and Information of the Sultanate of Oman, the general consumer price index based on 2018 as the base year increased by 2% in February 2026 compared to February 2025, and by 1.7% from January to February 2026.
For the main expenditure groups, the increase was 13.4% for miscellaneous personal goods and services, 5.7% for restaurants and hotels, 3% for furniture, household equipment and maintenance, 2.8% for food and non-alcoholic beverages, and 2.2% for education.
Prices in the health group increased by 1.7%, while transport, culture and entertainment rose by 0.2%, clothing and footwear by 0.1%, and housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels, communications, and tobacco were unchanged.
Under the food and non-alcoholic beverages category, the largest increase was for vegetables (8.3%), followed by fruits (5.4%) and sugar, jam, honey and sweets (3.1%).
Other increases included fish and seafood and non-alcoholic beverages (2.9% each), milk, cheese and eggs (2.1%), meat (1.6%), other food products (1.5%), oils and fats (0.7%), and bread and cereals (0.4%). Inflation at the governorate level ranged from 3% in Al Dhahirah Governorate to 2.5% in Muscat Governorate and 2.3% in Al Buraimi Governorate, followed by Ad Dakhiliyah Governorate at 2%. South Al Batinah Governorate and Musandam Governorate each had 1.7%, while South Al Sharqiyah Governorate registered 1.3%.
Oman’s North Al Batinah Governorate, North Al Sharqiyah Governorate, Al Wusta Governorate, and Dhofar Governorate each had an inflation rate of 1%.
Meanwhile, in other news, Qatar’s merchandise trade balance, representing the difference between total exports and imports during February, recorded a surplus of QAR 13 bn, down by QAR 4.6 bn (26.4%) compared with the same month in 2025, while it increased by QAR 0.9 bn (7.1%) compared with January 2026.
Data from the National Planning Council (NPC) revealed that total Qatari exports, including domestically produced goods and re-exports, reached approximately QAR 24.2 bn, down 13.5% compared with February 2025, and down 3.6% compared with January 2026.