In January 2025, the unadjusted consumer price index (CPI) of all items for urban consumers in the United States amounted to about 317.67. The data represents U.S. city averages. The base period was 1982-84=100. The CPI is defined by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics as “a measure of the average change over time in the prices paid by urban consumers for a market basket of consumer goods and services”. The annual consumer price index for urban consumers in the U.S. can be accessed here. Consumer Price Index The Consumer Price Index (CPI) began in 1919 under the Bureau of Labor Statistics and is published every month. The CPI for all urban consumers includes urban households in Metropolitan Statistical Areas and regions with over 2,500 inhabitants, as well as non-farm consumers living in rural regions. This index was established in 1978 and includes about 80 percent of the U.S. population. The monthly CPI of urban consumers in the United States increased from 292.3 in May 2022 to 304.13 in 2023. Inflation tends not to impact everyone equally for a variety of reasons, including geography - CPI often differs between regions, with a high of 287.49 in the Western region as of 2021. There are also disparities in inflation between income quartiles, in which inflation is generally felt more heavily by lower income households. The annual CPI in the United States has increased steadily over the past two decades, from 140.3 in 1992 to 292.56 in 2022. A forecast of the CPI expects this positive trend to continue, reaching 325.6 by 2027. As of March 2023, the CPI of the nation’s education had increased by 3.5 percent. Further, in the same month costs of recreation, rent, housing, medical care, and food and beverages, gasoline, and transportation increased. Comparatively, the CPI in Hong Kong reached 103.3 in 2022.

In 2023, the U.S. Consumer Price Index was 309.42, and is projected to increase to 352.27 by 2029. The base period was 1982-84. The monthly CPI for all urban consumers in the U.S. can be accessed here. After a time of high inflation, the U.S. inflation rateis projected fall to two percent by 2027. United States Consumer Price Index ForecastIt is projected that the CPI will continue to rise year over year, reaching 325.6 in 2027. The Consumer Price Index of all urban consumers in previous years was lower, and has risen every year since 1992, except in 2009, when the CPI went from 215.30 in 2008 to 214.54 in 2009. The monthly unadjusted Consumer Price Index was 296.17 for the month of August in 2022. The U.S. CPI measures changes in the price of consumer goods and services purchased by households and is thought to reflect inflation in the U.S. as well as the health of the economy. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics calculates the CPI and defines it as, "a measure of the average change over time in the prices paid by urban consumers for a market basket of consumer goods and services." The BLS records the price of thousands of goods and services month by month. They consider goods and services within eight main categories: food and beverage, housing, apparel, transportation, medical care, recreation, education, and other goods and services. They aggregate the data collected in order to compare how much it would cost a consumer to buy the same market basket of goods and services within one month or one year compared with the previous month or year. Given that the CPI is used to calculate U.S. inflation, the CPI influences the annual adjustments of many financial institutions in the United States, both private and public. Wages, social security payments, and pensions are all affected by the CPI.

In August 2024, the global consumer price index, excluding the United States, stood at 187.7, compared to 160.1 for the U.S. The data for the world and emerging economies are distorted by hyperinflation in Venezuela and may not accurately reflect the inflation rate of other countries. However, Russia's war in Ukraine caused a surge in prices globally through 2022 and 2023. The headline consumer price index tracks the changes in the price level of a basket of goods and services purchased by households. Economic challenges in Argentina While CPI increases have been significant globally, certain economies have experienced more dramatic increases than others. Argentina is a notable case of these increases, as the CPI has increased more than 100 percent between 2020 and 2023. Currently, most of the Argentinian public considers inflation and low wages to be the biggest challenges facing the country. Consumer responses to price increases Globally, consumers are coping with price increases in many ways. In a May 2023 survey, 68 percent respondents from over 14 countries indicated they were more conscious about prices than previously. In another survey from earlier that year, over 40 percent of respondents indicated they were most concerned about inflation and had changed their consumption habits as a result.

In 2023 and through 2024, the world saw inflation rates increase amid, among other things, post-COVID-19 effects and the Russia-Ukraine war. Argentina and Turkey were both plagued by hyperinflation, with over 219 and 58 percent in 2024, respectively. Except for these, Russia had the highest inflation rate, at nearly eight percent. On the other hand, China had the lowest rate of the countries included here, at 0.2 percent. Argentinian inflation crisis During the 2020s, Argentina was struck by extreme levels of inflation, which severely impacted the livelihoods of Argentinians. Specifically, the costs of goods have presented numerous challenges to Argentinian consumers. In Argentina, a basic food basket that costs around 26,000 Argentinian pesos cost over 100,000 by February 2024. Similarly, a basic consumer goods basket that cost around 57,000 Argentinian pesos in February 2023 rose to over 220,000 by February 2024. While these rising costs have been challenging for consumers, Argentina’s inflation rate is expected to decrease beginning in 2024 and is estimated to reach 8.9% by 2029.

British recession Besides the outliers of Argentina and Turkey, the United Kingdom had a comparatively high CPI rate. As of 2024, the British economy has entered a recession, the only G7 country to do so. Just before the general election held in July 2024, British voters indicated that health, mostly the lack of financial support and staff shortages, as well as the economy was the most important issue to them.

In 2022, the Consumer Price Index or CPI inflation rate of the Netherlands increased by 10 percent having grown to its highest level since 1992. With inflation rates hitting 10 percent, the Netherlands were significantly over the ideal set by the European Central Bank of two percent.

In the first quarter of 2023, the consumer price index (CPI) in New Zealand had increased by 6.7 percent in comparison to the same quarter of 2022. In the second quarter of 2022, the CPI in New Zealand experienced an increase of 7.3 percent in comparison to the same period of 2021, which was the largest increase since the June quarter of 1990.

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.

The global inflation rate reached almost nine percent in 2022 amid the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia and invasion of Ukraine. The inflation was particularly high in emerging and developing economies, where it reached almost 10 percent that year. Global inflation is expected to slow somewhat until 2025.

In 2024, the consumer price index (CPI) was 315.61. Data represents U.S. city averages. The monthly inflation rate for the United States can be found here. United States urban Consumer Price Index (CPI) The U.S. Consumer Price Index is a measure of change in the price of consumer goods and services purchased by households. The CPI is defined by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics as "a measure of the average change over time in the prices paid by urban consumers for a market basket of consumer goods and services." To calculate the CPI, the Bureau of Labor Statistics considers the price of goods and services from various categories: housing, transportation, apparel, food & beverage, medical care, recreation, education and other/uncategorized. The CPI is a useful measure, as it indicates how the cost of urban living in the United States has changed over time, compared to a base period. CPI is also used to calculate inflation, or change in the purchasing power of money. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. urban CPI has been rising steadily since 1992. As of 2023, the CPI was 304.7, up from 233 ten years earlier and up from 184 twenty years earlier. This indicates the extent to which, compared to a base period 1982-1984 = 100, the price of various goods and services has risen.

The combined consumer price index across India was 192.9 as of July 2024. Rural India registered a higher CPI as compared to urban India. The rural CPI has consistently stayed above than urban CPI during the recorded period. CPI measures the overall change in prices of goods and services for consumers.

In the U.S., the consumer price index (CPI) of food increased across many categories from 2022 to 2023. Cereal and bakery products saw the most drastic change between 2022 and 2023, when the CPI for this category increased by 8.4 percent.

The UK inflation rate was three percent in January 2025, up from 2.5 percent in the previous month, and the fastest rate of inflation since March 2024. Between September 2022 and March 2023, the UK experienced seven months of double-digit inflation, which peaked at 11.1 percent in October 2022. Due to this long period of high inflation, UK consumer prices have increased by over 20 percent in the last three years. As of the most recent month, prices were rising fastest in the communications sector, at 6.1 percent, but were falling in both the furniture and transport sectors, at -0.3 percent and -0.6 percent respectively.
The Cost of Living Crisis High inflation is one of the main factors behind the ongoing Cost of Living Crisis in the UK, which, despite subsiding somewhat in 2024, is still impacting households going into 2025. In December 2024, for example, 56 percent of UK households reported their cost of living was increasing compared with the previous month, up from 45 percent in July, but far lower than at the height of the crisis in 2022. After global energy prices spiraled that year, the UK's energy price cap increased substantially. The cap, which limits what suppliers can charge consumers, reached 3,549 British pounds per year in October 2022, compared with 1,277 pounds a year earlier. Along with soaring food costs, high-energy bills have hit UK households hard, especially lower income ones that spend more of their earnings on housing costs. As a result of these factors, UK households experienced their biggest fall in living standards in decades in 2022/23. Global inflation crisis causes rapid surge in prices The UK's high inflation, and cost of living crisis in 2022 had its origins in the COVID-19 pandemic. Following the initial waves of the virus, global supply chains struggled to meet the renewed demand for goods and services. Food and energy prices, which were already high, increased further in 2022. Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 brought an end to the era of cheap gas flowing to European markets from Russia. The war also disrupted global food markets, as both Russia and Ukraine are major exporters of cereal crops. As a result of these factors, inflation surged across Europe and in other parts of the world, but typically declined in 2023, and approached more usual levels by 2024.

In 2024, the annual inflation rate for the United Kingdom was 2.5 percent, with the average rate for 2025 predicted to rise to 3.2 percent. The UK has only recently recovered from a period of elevated inflation, which saw the CPI rate reach 7.3 percent in 2023, and 9.1 percent in 2022. Before 2022, the inflation rate was at its highest in 2011 when it reached 4.5 percent, and was lowest in 2015 when an annual inflation rate of zero percent was recorded. Inflation has been surging in the UK since late 2021, and reached a 41-year-high of 11.1 percent in October 2022. Since that recent peak, inflation has gradually subsided, and was four percent in January 2024. Inflation down but not out in 2024 Although there are some positive signals regarding UK inflation decelerating throughout 2023, prices are still rising at quite a fast rate, especially in certain sectors. Food inflation, for example, only fell below double-figures in November 2023, and was still rising by 6.9 percent in January 2024. As of that month, however, alcohol and tobacco prices were rising faster than any other sector, with an inflation rate of 12.4 percent. Additionally, underlying core inflation, which measures prices rises without food and energy, is slightly above the headline inflation rate, and was 5.1 percent as of the most recent month. With some aspects of inflation seemingly becoming embedded in the UK economy, this will likely prolong the current Cost of Living Crisis engulfing UK households. Inflation crisis across in the world in 2022 The UK has not been alone in suffering from runaway inflation over the last few years. From late 2021 onwards, various factors converged to encourage a global acceleration of prices, leading to the ongoing inflation crisis. Blocked-up supply chains were one of the main factors as the world emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic. This was followed by energy and food inflation skyrocketing after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Central bank interest rates were raised globally in response to the problem, possibly putting an end to the era of cheap money that has defined monetary policy since the financial crash of 2008.

The annual average consumer price index (CPI) in Iceland has increased steadily over the past 20 years. There was a significant increase from 2007 to 2009 following the international financial crisis, which hit the Icelandic economy hard. In 2022, the CPI increased by over 40 points compared to 2021. The monthly inflation rate increased significantly during 2022 following the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia-Ukraine war.

The inflation rate in the United States is expected to decrease to 2.1 percent by 2029. 2022 saw a year of exceptionally high inflation, reaching eight percent for the year. The data represents U.S. city averages. The base period was 1982-84. In economics, the inflation rate is a measurement of inflation, the rate of increase of a price index (in this case: consumer price index). It is the percentage rate of change in prices level over time. The rate of decrease in the purchasing power of money is approximately equal. According to the forecast, prices will increase by 2.9 percent in 2024. The annual inflation rate for previous years can be found here and the consumer price index for all urban consumers here. The monthly inflation rate for the United States can also be accessed here. Inflation in the U.S.Inflation is a term used to describe a general rise in the price of goods and services in an economy over a given period of time. Inflation in the United States is calculated using the consumer price index (CPI). The consumer price index is a measure of change in the price level of a preselected market basket of consumer goods and services purchased by households. This forecast of U.S. inflation was prepared by the International Monetary Fund. They project that inflation will stay higher than average throughout 2023, followed by a decrease to around roughly two percent annual rise in the general level of prices until 2028. Considering the annual inflation rate in the United States in 2021, a two percent inflation rate is a very moderate projection. The 2022 spike in inflation in the United States and worldwide is due to a variety of factors that have put constraints on various aspects of the economy. These factors include COVID-19 pandemic spending and supply-chain constraints, disruptions due to the war in Ukraine, and pandemic related changes in the labor force. Although the moderate inflation of prices between two and three percent is considered normal in a modern economy, countries’ central banks try to prevent severe inflation and deflation to keep the growth of prices to a minimum. Severe inflation is considered dangerous to a country’s economy because it can rapidly diminish the population’s purchasing power and thus damage the GDP .

Romania's consumer price index (CPI) reached 105.59 in 2024, indicating an inflation rate of roughly 5.6 percent. This decrease from the previous year's 10.4 percent suggests a significant easing of inflationary pressures. The country has experienced fluctuating inflation rates over the past decade, with the lowest CPI recorded in 2016. Recent Inflation Trends The highest inflation rate in Romania's recent history was observed in November 2022, peaking at 16.76 percent. By December 2024, inflation had moderated to 5.1 percent, a slight drop compared to the previous year. Food prices have contributed to overall inflation, with costs increasing by 5.09 percent in December 2024 compared to the same month in the previous year. Economic Impact and Outlook Despite inflationary pressures, Romania's economy has shown resilience. The country's gross domestic product per capita, adjusted for purchasing power parity, increased by 2.3 percent in 2023, reaching 40,665.53 U.S. dollars. This growth, although slowing, represents the highest level observed in recent years. Looking ahead, certain sectors may continue to face price increases. For instance, the apparel market is forecast to see a 37.79 percent rise in price per unit between 2024 and 2029, potentially reaching 34.61 U.S. dollars by the end of that period.

In January 2025, gasoline prices were around 0.2 percent lower than in January 2024. The data represents city averages in the United States. The defined base period is: 1982-84=100. CPI is defined by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics as "a measure of the average change over time in the prices paid by urban consumers for a market basket of consumer goods and services". It is based on prices of food, clothing, shelter, fuels, transportation fares, charges for doctors’ and dentists’ services, drugs, and other goods and services that people buy for day-to-day living. The annual inflation rate in the U.S. since 1990 can be accessed here.

Poland's inflation rate has shown significant fluctuations recently, with the country experiencing both periods of high inflation and deflation. In February 2025, consumer prices increased by 4.9 percent compared to the previous year, marking a notable decline from the peak of 18.4 percent recorded in February 2023. Food and beverage prices drive inflation Food and non-alcoholic beverages have contributed to Poland's inflation, with prices in this category reaching a staggering 24.2 percent increase in March 2023. Although the rate has since decreased, it remained at 4.5 percent in September 2024, indicating ongoing pressure on consumer budgets. Similarly, alcoholic beverages experienced significant price hikes, peaking at 14.2 percent in March 2023 before settling at 6.4 percent in February 2024. These persistent increases in essential goods have substantially impacted the overall inflation rate. Varied impact across sectors While food and beverages have seen consistent price increases, other sectors have experienced more volatile trends. Clothing and footwear, for instance, went through a period of deflation from January 2019 to April 2021, with prices declining by as much as four percent in May 2020. However, this sector also saw a sharp reversal, with inflation peaking at 7.8 percent in March 2023. Liquid fuel prices demonstrated even more dramatic swings, soaring to an astonishing 108.3 percent increase in June 2022. As of January 2025, housing-related costs, including utilities, have emerged as the leading inflationary force, rising by nearly nine percent year-over-year and significantly influencing the overall inflation rate.

In January 2024, the seasonally adjusted consumer price index (CPI) for food and beverages in the United States increased by 2.5 percent compared to the same period in 2023. On the other hand, the CPI for food and beverages in the country in January 2023 increased by 9.9 percent compared to the same period a year earlier. The highest change was registered in August 2022, when the consumer price index for food and beverages increased by 10.9 percent compared to August 2021.

In the June quarter of 2022, the consumer price index (CPI) in New Zealand was over 1161 points. In June 2021, the CPI was around 80 points lower. In the few years preceding 2021, the annual CPI increase was around 15 to 20 points.