India's wholesale prices fell at a slower-than-expected annual rate of 2.36 percent in May, their seventh straight fall, mainly on the back of plunging oil and manufacturing goods prices, government data showed on Monday.

The data compared with a 2.5 percent year-on-year fall forecast by economists in a Reuters poll and a provisional 2.65 percent annual decline in April.

Wholesale fuel prices in May fell 10.51 percent year-on-year, while costs of manufacturing goods edged down 0.64 percent from a year ago.