The UK inflation rate was 3.4 percent in May 2025, down from 3.5 percent in the previous month, and the fastest rate of inflation since February 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, revised upwards from an earlier prediction of 2.6 percent. The UK has only recently recovered from a period of elevated inflation, which saw the CPI rate reach 9.1 percent in 2022, and 7.3 percent in 2023. Despite an uptick in inflation expected in 2025, the inflation rate is expected to fall to 2.1 percent in 2026, and two percent between 2027 and 2029. UK inflation crisis Between 2021 and 2023, inflation surged in the UK, reaching a 41-year-high of 11.1 percent in October 2022. Although inflation fell to more usual levels by 2024, prices in the UK had already increased by over 20 percent relative to the start of the crisis. The two main drivers of price increases during this time were food and energy inflation, two of the main spending areas of UK households. Although food and energy prices came down quite sharply in 2023, underlying core inflation, which measures prices rises without food and energy, remained slightly above the headline inflation rate throughout 2024, suggesting some aspects of inflation had become embedded in the UK economy. Inflation rises across in the world in 2022 The UK was not 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.

Consumer price index (2010 = 100) in United Kingdom was reported at 147 in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. United Kingdom - Consumer price index (2010 = 100) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

Consumer Price Index CPI in the United Kingdom increased to 138.40 points in May from 138.20 points in April of 2025. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - United Kingdom Consumer Price Index (CPI) - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

The inflation rate for the Retail Price Index (RPI) in the United Kingdom was 4.3 percent in May 2025, down from 4.5 percent in the previous month. From 2021 onwards, prices in the UK rose rapidly, with the RPI inflation rate peaking at 14.2 percent in October 2022. Although inflation fell in subsequent months, it wasn't until July 2023 that inflation fell below double digits, and as of late 2024, the RPI rate was still above three percent. The CPI and CPIH While the retail price index is still a popular method of calculating inflation, the consumer price index (CPI) is the current main measurement of inflation in the UK. There is also an additional price index, which includes some extra housing costs, known as the Consumer Price Index including homer occupiers' costs (CPIH) index, which is seen by the UK's Office of National Statistics as the official inflation rate. As of December 2024, the CPI inflation rate stood at 2.5 percent, while the CPIH rate was 3.5 percent. Core inflation down in 2024 Another way of measuring inflation is to strip out the volatility of energy and food prices and look at the underlying core inflation rate. As of December 2024, this was 3.2 percent, slightly higher than the overall CPI rate, but more aligned with the overall figure than it was in 2022 and 2023. When inflation peaked at 11.2 percent in October 2022, for example, core inflation stood at just 6.5 percent. After energy prices in 2023 fell relative to 2022, the overall inflation rate in the UK declined quite rapidly, with core inflation overtaking the overall rate in July 2023. During the most recent period of high inflation, core inflation peaked at 7.1 percent in May 2023, and while taking longer to fall than the overall figure, has generally been declining since then.

Consumer Price Index (CPI) in the United Kingdom, May, 2025 The most recent value is 138 index points as of May 2025, an increase compared to the previous value of 137.7 index points. Historically, the average for the United Kingdom from January 1996 to May 2025 is 92.4788 index points. The minimum of 67.8 index points was recorded in January 1996, while the maximum of 138 index points was reached in May 2025. | TheGlobalEconomy.com

Inflation Rate in the United Kingdom decreased to 3.40 percent in May from 3.50 percent in April of 2025. This dataset provides - United Kingdom Inflation Rate - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Key information about UK Consumer Price Index CPI growth

• UK Consumer Price Index (CPI) growth was measured at 3.0 % YoY in Jan 2025, compared with a rate of 2.5 % in the previous month.
• UK Consumer Price Index growth data is updated monthly, available from Jan 1989 to Jan 2025, with an averaged number of 2.3 % YoY.
• The data reached an all-time high of 11.1 % YoY in Oct 2022 and a record low of -0.1 % YoY in Oct 2015.

Office for National Statistics provides monthly Consumer Price Index Growth with base 2015=100. Office for National Statistics calculates Consumer Price Index Growth from unrounded indices. Therefore, the result will not always give the correct value when rounded to one decimal place. [COVID-19-IMPACT]

Core consumer prices in the United Kingdom increased 3.50 percent in May of 2025 over the same month in the previous year. This dataset provides - United Kingdom Core Inflation Rate - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

As of the first quarter of 2025, the consumer price index in the UK was 136.5, indicating that prices had increased by 36.5 percent when compared with 2015. Since 2015, the sector in which prices have increased the most is alcoholic beverages and tobacco, at 54.8 percent.

After reaching a peak of 10.7 percent in the fourth quarter of 2022, the CPI inflation rate in the United Kingdom has fallen considerably, and was 2.5 percent in the fourth quarter of 2024. In 2025, there is expected to be an uptick in inflation, with prices expected to be increasing by 3.7 percent in the third quarter of 2025, before falling to two percent by the second quarter of 2026. Inflation and the Cost of Living The high inflation experienced by the UK since late 2021 is one of the main factors behind the country's ongoing cost of living crisis. Price surges, in relation to food and energy costs in particular, played havoc with the finances of UK households. At the height of the crisis, around nine out of ten households were experiencing a cost of living increase compared to the previous month. Although inflation has eased since reaching a peak of 11.1 percent in October 2022, and wages are growing in real terms, approximately 59 percent of households were still experiencing rising costs relative to the previous month in March 2025. Economic growth downgraded for 2025 Since 2022, the economy has generally been the main issue for UK voters, seen by 51 percent of people as one of the top three issues facing the country in March 2025. Throughout this time, UK households have struggled through a cost of living crisis, while the wider economy has struggled to achieve consistent growth. Between the first quarter of 2022, the UK economy has alternated between periods of low growth and minor contractions, with the UK even in recession at the end of 2023. While there was a slight uptick in growth in 2024, this momentum appears to have already been lost, with the UK's economic growth forecast for 2025 recently downgraded from two percent to one percent.

Retail Price Index in the United Kingdom increased to 4.50 percent in April from 3.20 percent in March of 2025. This dataset provides - United Kingdom Retail Price Index YoY- actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

The Consumer Price Index in the United Kingdom increased 0.20 percent in May of 2025 over the previous month. This dataset provides - United Kingdom Inflation Rate MoM - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Graph and download economic data for Consumer Price Indices (CPIs, HICPs), COICOP 1999: Consumer Price Index: Total for United Kingdom (GBRCPALTT01CTGYM) from Jan 2010 to Mar 2025 about United Kingdom, all items, CPI, price index, indexes, and price.

The Consumer Price Index for education goods and services in the United Kingdom was 145.3 in the first quarter of 2025, indicating that prices in this sector have increased by 45.3 percent since 2015, compared with 36.5 percent for overall prices.

In May 2025, the Consumer Price Index including owner occupiers' housing costs (CPIH) inflation rate of the United Kingdom was **** percent, down from *** percent in the previous month. The inflation rate fell noticeably after the COVID-19 pandemic, but rose sharply between Spring 2021 and Autumn 2022. After peaking at *** percent in October 2022, CPIH inflation declined throughout 2023 and into 2024, falling to *** percent by September of that year, before increasing again recently. Cost of living problems persist into 2025 Although it is likely that the worst of the recent inflation surge may have passed, the issues caused by it look set to linger into 2025 and beyond. While the share of households experiencing living cost rises has fallen from ** percent in August 2022, to ** percent in July 2024, this share rose towards the end of the year, with more than half of households reporting rising costs in December. Even with lower inflation, overall consumer prices have already increased by around ** percent in the last three years, rising to almost ** percent for food prices, which lower income households typically spend more of their income on. The significant increase in people relying on food banks across the UK, is evidence of the magnitude of this problem, with approximately **** million people using food banks in 2023/**. Other measure of inflation While the CPIH inflation rate displayed here is the preferred index of the UK's Office of National Statistics, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) is often more prominently featured in the media in general. An older index, the Retail Price Index (RPI) is also still used by the government to calculate certain taxes, and rail fare rises. Other metrics include the core inflation rate, which measures prices increases without the volatility of food and energy costs, while price increases in goods and services can also be tracked separately. The inflation rate of individual sectors can also be measured, and as of December 2024, prices were rising fastest in the communications sector, at *** percent, with costs falling in the transport and furniture sectors.

In May 2025, the UK inflation rate for goods was two percent and 4.7 percent for services. Prices for goods accelerated significantly, sharply between in 2021 and 2022 before falling in 2023. By comparison, prices for services initially grew at a more moderate rate, but have also not fallen as quickly. The overall CPI inflation rate for the UK reached a recent high of 11.1 percent in October 2022 and remained in double-figures until April 2023, when it fell to 8.7 percent. As of this month, the UK's inflation rate was 2.6 percent, down from 2.8 percent in the previous month. Sectors driving high inflation In late 2024, communication was the sector with the highest inflation rate, with prices increasing by 6.1 percent as of December 2024. During the recent period of high inflation that eased in 2023, food and energy prices were particular high, with housing and energy inflation far higher than in any other sector, peaking at 26.6 percent towards the end of 2022. High food and energy prices since 2021 have been one of the main causes of the cost of living crisis in the UK, especially for low-income households that spend a higher share of their income on these categories. This is likely one of the factors driving increasing food bank usage in the UK, which saw approximately 3.12 million people use a food bank in 2023/24, compared with 1.9 million just before the COVID-19 pandemic. The global inflation crisis The UK has not been alone in suffering rapid price increases since 2021. After the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, a series of economic and geopolitical shocks had a dramatic impact on the global economy. A global supply chain crisis failed to meet rising demand in 2021, leading to the beginning of an Inflation Crisis, which was only exacerbated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The war directly influenced the prices of food and energy, as both countries were major exporters of important crops. European imports of hydrocarbons from Russia were also steadily reduced throughout 2022 and 2023, resulting in higher energy prices throughout the year.

Key information about EU Consumer Price Index CPI growth

• EU Consumer Price Index (CPI) growth was measured at 2.7 % YoY in Feb 2025, compared with a rate of 2.8 % in the previous month.
• EU Consumer Price Index growth data is updated monthly, available from Jan 1997 to Feb 2025, with an averaged number of 2.4 % YoY.
• The data reached an all-time high of 11.5 % YoY in Oct 2022 and a record low of -0.6 % YoY in Jan 2015.

CEIC calculates Consumer Price Index Growth from monthly Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices. Eurostat provides Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices with base 2015=100. Consumer Price Index Growth prior to December 2000 is calculated from Consumer Price Index with base 2005=100 that includes United Kingdom. European Union stands for EU27 excluding UK. [COVID-19-IMPACT]

As of the first quarter of 2025, the CPIH index in the United Kingdom was 135.6 indicating that consumer goods and services had increased in price by 35.6 percent when compared with the baseline year of 2015. In March 2025, the CPIH inflation rate was 3.4 percent, unchanged from the previous month. The CPIH index is the consumer price index, which also includes costs related to owning and maintaining a home. Inflation falls to more usual levels in 2024 After reaching a peak of 9.6 percent in October 2022, the CPIH inflation rate fell throughout 2023 and into 2024, eventually falling to a low of 2.6 percent in October 2024. Although the decline in energy inflation led to a significant fall in prices early in the 2023, other aspects of inflation, such as food prices remained high for a longer period. Throughout 2023 inflation in the UK was still quite high across many sectors, indicated by persistently high core inflation (inflation excluding food and energy prices) rates reported that year. UK economy continues to struggle Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the UK's economic performance has been quite lackluster. Although the economy bounced back from the initial drop in GDP caused by lockdowns, it has alternated between months of low growth and declines in GDP since 2021. In the last two quarters of 2023, the UK economy shrank by 0.1 percent, and then by 0.3 percent. As a result, the UK economy officially ended 2023 in a technical recession. While growth picked up in the first half of 2024, there was no growth in the third quarter of the year.