BANGKOK, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's headline inflation rate accelerated for the first time in four months in August, mainly due to persistently high domestic fuel prices amid the ongoing Middle East conflict and the imposition of additional economic sanctions, official data showed on Monday.
The Southeast Asian country's consumer price index (CPI) rose 2.53 percent last month compared to a year earlier, quickening from a 1.95-percent gain in July and registering the strongest reading since May, according to the Ministry of Commerce.
Broadly elevated prepared food prices contributed to the upturn, while fresh food costs also increased, partly owing to improved purchasing power on the back of the government's co-payment program, combined with volatile weather conditions that reduced production, the ministry said in a statement.
Core CPI, which excludes volatile fresh food and energy prices, climbed 1.44 percent year on year in August, accelerating from a 1.34-percent rise in the previous month.
For the first eight months of 2026, the headline CPI expanded 1.37 percent compared to the same period last year.
Looking ahead, the ministry expects headline inflation to remain positive in September, primarily supported by rising energy-related, food, and travel costs, while electricity tariffs and personal-care goods prices continue to ease.
The ministry maintained its projection for headline CPI to rise between 1.5 percent and 2.5 percent this year. ■
