In economics, the inflation rate is a measure of the change in price of a basket of goods. The most common measure being the consumer price index. It is the percentage rate of change in price level over time, and also indicates the rate of decrease in the purchasing power of money. The annual rate of inflation for 2023, was 4.1 percent higher in the United States when compared to the previous year. More information on inflation and the consumer price index can be found on our dedicated topic page. Additionally, the monthly rate of inflation in the United States can be accessed here. Inflation and purchasing power Inflation is a key economic indicator, and gives economists and consumers alike a look at changes in prices in the wider economy. For example, if an average pair of socks costs 100 dollars one year and 105 dollars the following year, the inflation rate is five percent. This means the amount of goods an individual can purchase with a unit of currency has decreased. This concept is often referred to as purchasing power. The data presents the average rate of inflation in a year, whereas the monthly measure of inflation measures the change in prices compared with prices one year ago. For example, monthly inflation in the U.S. reached a peak in June 2022 at 9.1 percent. This means that prices were 9.1 percent higher than they were in June of 2021. The purchasing power is the extent to which a person has available funds to make purchases. The Big Mac Index has been published by The Economist since 1986 and exemplifies purchasing power on a global scale, allowing us to see note the differences between different countries currencies. Switzerland for example, has the most expensive Big Mac in the world, costing consumers 6.71 U.S. dollars as of July 2022, whereas a Big Mac cost 5.15 dollars in the United States, and 4.77 dollars in the Euro area. One of the most important tools in influencing the rate of inflation is interest rates. The Federal Reserve of the United States has the capacity to make changes to the federal interest rate . Changes to the rate of inflation are thought to be an imbalance between supply and demand. After COVID-19 related lockdowns came to an end there was a sudden increase in demand for goods and services with consumers having more funds than usual thanks to reduced spending during lockdown and government funded economic support. Additionally, supply-chain related bottlenecks also due to lockdowns around the world and the Russian invasion of Ukraine meant that there was a decrease in the supply of goods and services. By increasing the interest rate, the Federal Reserve aims to reduce spending, and thus bring demand back into balance with supply.

Graph and download economic data for Inflation, consumer prices for the United States (FPCPITOTLZGUSA) from 1960 to 2023 about consumer, CPI, inflation, price index, indexes, price, and USA.

In January 2025, prices had increased by three percent compared to January 2024 according to the 12-month percentage change in the consumer price index — the monthly inflation rate for goods and services in the United States. The data represents U.S. city averages. In economics, the inflation rate is a measure of the change in price level over time. The rate of decrease in the purchasing power of money is approximately equal. A projection of the annual U.S. inflation rate can be accessed here and the actual annual inflation rate since 1990 can be accessed here. InflationOne of the most important economic indicators is the development of the Consumer Price Index in a country. The change in this price level of goods and services is defined as the rate of inflation. The inflationary situation in the United States had been relatively severe in 2022 due to global events relating to COVID-19, supply chain restrains, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. More information on U.S. inflation may be found on our dedicated topic page. The annual inflation rate in the United States has increased from 3.2 percent in 2011 to 8.3 percent in 2022. This means that the purchasing power of the U.S. dollar has weakened in recent years. The purchasing power is the extent to which a person has available funds to make purchases. According to the data published by the International Monetary Fund, the U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI) was about 258.84 in 2020 and is forecasted to grow up to 325.6 by 2027, compared to the base period from 1982 to 1984. The monthly percentage change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for urban consumers in the United States was 0.1 percent in March 2023 compared to the previous month. In 2022, countries all around the world are experienced high levels of inflation. Although Brazil already had an inflation rate of 8.3 percent in 2021, compared to the previous year, while the inflation rate in China stood at 0.85 percent.

Long term historical dataset of the broad price-adjusted U.S. dollar index published by the Federal Reserve. The index is adjusted for the aggregated home inflation rates of all included currencies. The price adjustment is especially important with our Asian and South American trading partners due to their significant inflation episodes of the 80s and 90s.

The USDARS decreased 0.0894 or 0.01% to 1,070.6498 on Wednesday March 26 from 1,070.7392 in the previous trading session. Argentinean Peso - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on March of 2025.

Graph and download economic data for Currency Conversions: US Dollar Exchange Rate: Average of Daily Rates: National Currency: USD for Euro Area (19 Countries) (CCUSMA02EZM661N) from Jan 1990 to Dec 2023 about Euro Area, Europe, exchange rate, currency, and rate.

Historical dataset of nominal and real (inflation-adjusted) gold prices per ounce back to 1915. The series is deflated using the headline Consumer Price Index (CPI) with the most recent month as the base. The current month is updated on an hourly basis with today's latest value.

Graph and download economic data for Currency Conversions: US Dollar Exchange Rate: Average of Daily Rates: National Currency: USD for Euro Area (19 Countries) (CCUSMA02EZQ661N) from Q1 1990 to Q4 2023 about Euro Area, Europe, exchange rate, currency, and rate.

Inflation is generally defined as the continued increase in the average prices of goods and services in a given region. Following the extremely high global inflation experienced in the 1980s and 1990s, global inflation has been relatively stable since the turn of the millennium, usually hovering between three and five percent per year. There was a sharp increase in 2008 due to the global financial crisis now known as the Great Recession, but inflation was fairly stable throughout the 2010s, before the current inflation crisis began in 2021. Recent years Despite the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the global inflation rate fell to 3.26 percent in the pandemic's first year, before rising to 4.66 percent in 2021. This increase came as the impact of supply chain delays began to take more of an effect on consumer prices, before the Russia-Ukraine war exacerbated this further. A series of compounding issues such as rising energy and food prices, fiscal instability in the wake of the pandemic, and consumer insecurity have created a new global recession, and global inflation in 2024 is estimated to have reached 5.76 percent. This is the highest annual increase in inflation since 1996. Venezuela Venezuela is the country with the highest individual inflation rate in the world, forecast at around 200 percent in 2022. While this is figure is over 100 times larger than the global average in most years, it actually marks a decrease in Venezuela's inflation rate, which had peaked at over 65,000 percent in 2018. Between 2016 and 2021, Venezuela experienced hyperinflation due to the government's excessive spending and printing of money in an attempt to curve its already-high inflation rate, and the wave of migrants that left the country resulted in one of the largest refugee crises in recent years. In addition to its economic problems, political instability and foreign sanctions pose further long-term problems for Venezuela. While hyperinflation may be coming to an end, it remains to be seen how much of an impact this will have on the economy, how living standards will change, and how many refugees may return in the coming years.

In 2023, the U.S. GDP increased from the previous year to about 27.36 trillion U.S. dollars. This increase in GDP can be attributed to a continued rebound from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Gross domestic product (GDP) refers to the market value of all goods and services produced within a country. In 2023, the United States has the largest economy in the world. See, for example, the Russian GDP for comparison.

What is GDP? Gross domestic product is one of the most important indicators used to analyze the health of an economy. GDP is defined by the BEA as the market value of goods and services produced by labor and property in the United States, regardless of nationality. It is the primary measure of U.S. production. The OECD defines GDP as an aggregate measure of production equal to the sum of the gross values added of all resident, institutional units engaged in production (plus any taxes, and minus any subsidies, on products not included in the value of their outputs).

GDP and national debt

Although the United States had the highest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the world in 2022, this does not tell us much about the quality of life in any given country. GDP per capita at purchasing power parity (PPP) is an economic measurement that is thought to be a better method for comparing living standards across countries because it accounts for domestic inflation and variations in the cost of living.

While the United States might have the largest economy, the country that ranked highest in terms of GDP at PPP was Luxembourg, amounting to around 141,333 international dollars per capita. Singapore, Ireland, and Qatar also ranked highly on the GDP PPP list, and the United States ranked 9th in 2022.

This table contains 45 series, with data for years 1950 - 2015 (not all combinations necessarily have data for all years), and was last released on 2016-01-05. This table contains data described by the following dimensions (Not all combinations are available): Geography (1 items: Canada ...), Type of currency (45 items: United States dollar; noon spot rate; average; Danish krone; noon spot rate; average; French franc; noon spot rate; average; Belgian franc; noon spot rate; average ...).

Graph and download economic data for South Korean Won to U.S. Dollar Spot Exchange Rate (DEXKOUS) from 1981-04-13 to 2025-03-21 about Korea, exchange rate, currency, rate, and USA.

The U.S. M1 money supply reached 18.43 trillion dollars in 2024, showing a modest increase from the previous year. While M1 grew gradually between 2000 and 2019, it experienced an unprecedented surge in 2020 due to the Federal Reserve's quantitative easing response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The most dramatic spike occurred in May 2020, when M1 jumped from 4.8 to 16.2 trillion dollars - more than tripling in a single month.

Gasoline prices in the United States have experienced significant fluctuations over the past three decades, with 2024 seeing an average price of 3.3 U.S. dollars per gallon. This marks a notable decrease from the record high of 3.95 U.S. dollars per gallon in 2022, yet remains considerably higher than prices seen in the early 2000s. Despite this, American consumers continue to enjoy relatively low gasoline prices compared to many other countries, with some European countries paying more than double the U.S. average. Drivers in Hawaii and California pay the most at the pump Gasoline prices vary significantly across the United States, with Hawaii and California consistently ranking as the most expensive states for this fuel. As of January 1, 2025, Hawaii's average price for regular gasoline was 4.54 U.S. dollars per gallon, nearly 1.5 dollars above the national average. California's high prices are largely attributed to its steep gasoline taxes, which reached 68.1 U.S. cents per gallon in January 2024. These taxes play a crucial role in shaping retail prices and are typically reinvested in road infrastructure, demonstrating the direct link between fuel costs and transportation development. Patterns in gasoline consumption In a global context, the United States maintains some of the lowest conventional motor fuel prices among high-income countries. This is largely due to its position as the world's largest crude oil producer, allowing it to keep retail prices comparatively low. Despite fluctuations in price, gasoline consumption in the U.S. remains robust, averaging around 8.5 million barrels per day in 2024. Consumption tends to be highest in the summer months and lowest in the winter months due to changing driving behavior.

The retail price of 100% ground beef in the United States has risen significantly in the last two decades. In 2024, a pound of ground beef cost 5.61 U.S. dollars, up from 2.41 U.S. dollars in 2008. Cattle and beef production in the U.S. In 2022, there were almost 29 million beef cows in the United States. Compared to sheep, pigs, and chickens, cows are very expensive to raise and require much more water, feed, and land per calorie generated. Though beef production fluctuates from year to year, there has been a positive trend in beef production in the last several years in the United States. U.S. beef market In terms of retail sales, beef is the leading type of fresh meat in the United States. On average, beef generates about 19 thousand U.S. dollars in sales per store per week, compared to approximately 10 thousand dollars for chicken, and less than five thousand dollars for pork. As of 2021, per capita consumption of beef in the United States amounted to about 59 pounds per year.

Graph and download economic data for Exchange Rate to U.S. Dollar for Jamaica (FXRATEJMA618NUPN) from 1950 to 2010 about Jamaica, exchange rate, currency, rate, and USA.

The price of gold per troy ounce increased considerably between 1990 and 2024, despite some fluctuations. A troy ounce is the international common unit of weight used for precious metals and is approximately 31.3 grams. At the end of 2024, a troy ounce of gold cost 2,386.2 U.S. dollars. Price of – additional information In 2000 the price of gold was at its lowest since 1990, with a troy ounce of gold costing 274.5 U.S. dollars in that year. Since then gold prices have been rising and after the economic crisis of 2008 the price of gold rose at higher rates than ever before as the market began to see gold as an increasingly good investment. History has shown that time and time again, gold is seen as a good investment in times of uncertainty because it can or is thought to function as a good store of value against a declining currency as well as providing protection against inflation. However unlike other commodities, once gold is mined it does not get used up like other commodities (for example, such as gasoline). So while gold may be a good investment at times, the supply demand argument does not apply to gold. Nonetheless, the demand for gold has been mostly consistent.

Gasoline Prices in Kenya decreased to 1.36 USD/Liter in February from 1.37 USD/Liter in January of 2025. This dataset provides - Kenya Gasoline Prices- actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

The value of M2 money supply in the U.S. amounted to 20.86 trillion U.S. dollars in 2023, which was a slight decrease compared to the previous year. While between 2000 and 2019, the M2 money supply increased at a relatively slow pace, there was an exceptionally sharp increase in 2020, which was the result of the Federal Reserve's quantitative easing in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This statistic illustrates the buying power of Hispanic consumers in the United States from 1990 to 2026. Hispanics spent around 2.09 trillion U.S. dollars in 2021. This buying power is expected to increase to over 2.7 trillion U.S. dollars by 2026.