Diesel consumption rises 11.69% in October, LPG demand falls 12.11%

India's diesel consumption rose 11.69 per cent in October, while petrol demand grew 3.11 per cent and LPG usage fell 12.11 per cent amid supply disruptions linked to the West Asia crisis

India’s consumption of petrol and diesel rose in October, against a sharp decline in demand for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) during the month, according to fresh data sourced from the Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC), an arm of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

 

Petrol consumption increased by 3.11 per cent to 3.77 million tonnes (mt) year-on-year in October 2026, while sales of diesel, the country’s largest-selling petroleum product, rose by 11.69 per cent to 8.51 mt. However, LPG consumption declined by 12.11 per cent to 2.64 mt during the month.

 

India’s LPG consumption has remained under pressure due to the country’s heavy dependence on imported LPG and shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, against the backdrop of the crisis in West Asia since late February 2026.

  

The government has introduced measures to reduce LPG dependence, including incentives for city gas distribution (CGD) companies to expand domestic piped natural gas (PNG) connections and encouragement for LPG consumers to shift to PNG, subject to availability.

 

These measures have contributed to the sharp decline in LPG consumption witnessed in recent months amid supply disruptions and tighter availability caused by the crisis.

 

PPAC data also showed that aviation turbine fuel (ATF) demand dropped 1.34 per cent to 762,000 tonnes in October compared with the same month last year.

 

For the seven-month period between April and October 2026, petrol consumption rose by 6.53 per cent to 26.47 mt, while diesel demand increased by 5.91 per cent to 56.44 mt. ATF consumption during the period rose 0.28 per cent to 5.20 mt.

 

LPG consumption during the April-October period fell 14.52 per cent to 16.31 mt from 19.09 mt in the year-ago period.