This dataset provides composite consumer price index figures covering the period from 1750-2023. It is primarily intended to provide the backend for a simple inflation calculator program, and for making historical comparisons.

Series information: - Year: The year. - Composite index: This is a composite consumer price index built from previous indexes to provide coverage over a longer time period. - Annual difference: The difference between this row’s composite index value and that of the preceding year. - Percentage difference: The annual difference expressed as a percentage. - Cumulative change since 1750: The cumulative difference in inflation since 1750. - Difference from today: The difference in index value between the given year and 2023.

Guide

You can use the dataset to answer the following types of questions, in the following ways:

What is the equivalent sum of money in year X (2003) prices of £50 in year Y (1850)?

This can be determined by how much prices have risen over the relevant period. It can be calculated by: Amount to be revalued multiplied by later year’s index divided by earlier year’s index. For the above example, £50 x 715.2/8.4 = £4,257

What was the purchasing power of the pound in year X (1995), compared to 1965?

100 times earlier year’s index/later year’s index. 100 x 58.4/588.2 = 9.9p This can be reversed by inverting the numerator and denominator in the above equation, to give the earlier year’s value in the latter year.

When converted to the value of one British pound Sterling in 2019, goods and services that cost one pound in 1210 would cost just over two thousand pounds in 2019, meaning that one pound in 1210 was worth approximately two thousand times more than it is today. This data can be used to calculate how much goods and services from the years shown would cost today, by multiplying the price from then by the number shown in the graph. For example, an item that cost 50 pounds in 1970 would theoretically cost 780 pounds in 2019's money.

The GBP/USD exchange rate fell to 1.3199 on December 2, 2025, down 0.11% from the previous session. Over the past month, the British Pound has strengthened 0.44%, and is up by 4.14% over the last 12 months. British Pound - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on December of 2025.

In the three months to August 2025, average weekly earnings in the United Kingdom grew by 4.7 percent. In the same month, the inflation rate for the Consumer Price Index was 3.8 percent, indicating that wages were rising faster than prices that month. Average salaries in the UK In 2024, the average salary for full-time workers in the UK was 37,430 British pounds a year, up from 34,963 in the previous year. In London, the average annual salary was far higher than the rest of the country, at 47,455 pounds per year, compared with just 32,960 in North East England. There also still exists a noticeable gender pay gap in the UK, which was seven percent for full-time workers in 2024, down from 7.5 percent in 2023. Lastly, the monthly earnings of the top one percent in the UK was 15,887 pounds as of November 2024, far higher than even that of the average for the top five percent, who earned 7,641 pounds per month, while pay for the lowest 10 percent of earners was just 805 pounds per month. Waves of industrial action in the UK One of the main consequences of high inflation and low wage growth throughout 2022 and 2023 was an increase in industrial action in the UK. In December 2022, for example, there were approximately 830,000 working days lost due to labor disputes. Throughout this month, workers across various industry sectors were involved in industrial disputes, such as nurses, train drivers, and driving instructors. Many of the workers who took part in strikes were part of the UK's public sector, which saw far weaker wage growth than that of the private sector throughout 2022. Widespread industrial action continued into 2023, with approximately 303,000 workers involved in industrial disputes in March 2023. There was far less industrial action by 2024, however, due to settlements in many of the disputes, although some are ongoing as of 2025.

During 2022, the GBP/USD exchange rate reached its lowest value ever recorded after the UK government announced its initial plans to combat inflation. Prices did increase again after these plans were turned back shortly after. As of November 14, 2025, one pound was valued at roughly 1.32 U.S. dollars.What affects an exchange rate?There are several factors that can impact an exchange rate. In terms of the current situation, the political and economic standings surrounding Brexit are probably the largest driver in the current form of the British pound. Other factors include inflation and interest rates, public debts, and deficits, as well as the country's export prices to import prices ratio.British pound to EuroSince the United Kingdom (UK) held a referendum on its European Union membership in June 2016, the British pound's (GBP) standing against the Euro has also been impacted. During the first half of 2020, the British pound against the Euro weakened overall.

The USD to GBP exchange rate history reveals a notably strong dollar against the pound in 2022, with values being higher than during COVID-19 or Brexit. In January 2021, for example, one U.S. dollar could buy less than 0.80 British pounds. This had changed to a value of 0.76 British pounds by November 14, 2025. Before that time, the exchange rate grew especially during the summer of 2022 - following the war in Ukraine as well as uncertainty surrounding the UK government's inflation response - as exchange rates reached the highest value since 2012.

In 2025, the average annual inflation rate for the United Kingdom is expected to 3.5 percent, with the average rate for 2026 predicted to fall to 2.5 percent. Inflation in the UK increased at a faster rate than expected, with the rate revised upwards from an earlier prediction of 3.2 percent. Like many countries, 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 the recent uptick in 2025, the inflation rate is expected to fall to 2.5 percent in 2026, and to 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.

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.

The pound strengthened against the USD in November 2025 compared to a year prior, closing trading at 1.3647 as of November 11, 2025. This was due to various developments in the global financial market and increased inflation in the United States that has led to a pullback in the value of U.S. dollars. Inflation in the United States—as measured by the consumer price index (CPI)—declined to three percent in September 2025.

Due to the recent hyperinflation crisis in Venezuela, the average inflation rate in Venezuela is estimated to be around 225 percent in 2026. However, this is well below the peak of 63,000 percent observed in 2018.What is hyperinflation?In short, hyperinflation is a very high inflation rate that accelerates quickly. It can be caused by a government printing huge amounts of new money to pay for its expenses. The subsequent rapid increase of prices causes the country’s currency to lose value and shortages in goods to occur. People then typically start hoarding goods, which become even more scarce and expensive, money becomes worthless, financial institutions go bankrupt, and eventually, the country’s economy collapses. The Venezuelan descent into hyperinflationIn Venezuela, the economic catastrophe began with government price controls and plummeting oil prices, which caused state-run oil companies to go bankrupt. The government then starting printing new money to cope, thus prices rose rapidly, unemployment increased, and GDP collapsed, all of which was exacerbated by international sanctions. Today, many Venezuelans are emigrating to find work and supplies elsewhere, and population growth is at a decade-low. Current president Nicolás Maduro does not seem inclined to steer away from his course of price controls and economic mismanagement, so the standard of living in the country is not expected to improve significantly anytime soon.

In 2021, the inflation rate in Ghana amounted to about 9.98 percent compared to the previous year. Ghana’s inflation peaked at almost 17.5 percent in 2016 and is predicted to decrease to 8 percent by 2030. Steady is best for inflationAccording to economists, a steady inflation rate between two and three percent is desirable to achieve a stable economy in a country. Inflation is the increase in the price level of consumer goods and services over a certain time period. A high inflation rate is often caused by excessive money supply and can turn into hyperinflation, i.e. if inflation occurs too quickly and rapidly, it can devalue currency and cause a recession and even economic collapse. This scenario is currently taking place in Venezuela , for example. The opposite of inflation, the decrease in the price level of goods and services below zero percent, is called deflation. While hyperinflation devalues money, deflation usually increases its value. Both events can damage an economy severely. Is Ghana’s economy at risk?Ghana’s economy is considered quite stable and fast-growing, and is rich in oil, diamonds, and gold. After struggling in the years around 2015 due to increased government spending and plummeting oil prices, it is now on an upswing again. This is also reflected in the decreasing inflation rate, and other key indicators like unemployment and rapid GDP growth support this theory. However, Ghana’s government debt is still struggling with the consequences of the 2015 crisis and forecast to keep skyrocketing during the next few years.

One United States dollar was worth over ********* Indonesian rupiah in September 2025, the highest value in a comparison of over 50 different currencies worldwide. All countries and territories shown here are based on the Big Mac Index - a measurement of how much a single Big Mac is worth across different areas in the world. This exchange rate comparison reveals a strong position of the dollar in Asia and Latin America. Note, though, that several of the top currencies shown here do not rank among the most traded. The quarterly U.S. dollar exchange rate against the ten biggest forex currencies only contains the Korean won and the Japanese yen.

The average exchange rate of the euro to the pound nearly reached 0.9 GBP over the course of 2022, a figure lower than in previous years. This is according to a comparison between average monthly and daily exchange rates. Figures changed, especially in the second half of 2022, after the British government first announced its inflation plans. By November 13, 2025, however, one euro was valued at 0.88 British pounds. The pound-to-euro exchange rate can be found on a different page.EstablishmentThe euro, which was established in 1992, introduced in non-physical form in 1999, and finally rolled out in 2002, is used by 19 of the 27 member states of the European Union. This group of 19 countries is otherwise known as the eurozone or euro area. By 2018, the total value of euro currency in circulation was almost 1.2 trillion euros, or over 3.4 thousand euros per capita.Euro to GBPBetween 2000 and 2009, the average annual exchange rate of the euro to the British pound sterling noted a steep increase. In 2009, the euro to British pound sterling annual average exchange rate was equal to 0.89, which meant that one euro could buy 0.89 British pounds. By 2016, this value had decreased to a value of 0.82, which again meant that one euro could buy 0.88 British pounds. The Brexit referendum is the likely reason for the noted increase in value of the euro to British pound sterling from 2017 onwards. The overall strengthening of the euro against the British pound following the referendum result in June 2016 can be seen in the monthly exchange rate.

From January 2020 through January 2025, the value of money market funds under management in the United Kingdom (UK) remained relatively stable aside from one notable spike in value in October 2022, by January 2023, however, the spike had subsided, and fund levels had fallen below ** million British pounds.

How are money market yields linked to inflation? The money market yields are influenced by inflation expectations. When inflation expectations rise, investors typically demand higher nominal yields to offset the anticipated decline in purchasing power. Market sentiment regarding inflation is reflected in these yields, which act as indicators for both investors and policymakers. The inflation rate for the Consumer Price Index (CPI) in the United Kingdom went from under *** percent in March 2021 to a high of **** percent in October 2022. Although inflation declined to *** percent in October 2023, it remained well above the levels seen before 2021. Consequently, a significant increase in money market yields was observed. Beginning in 2022, the monthly average yields from the British government bonds continued to rise until they reached their peak in mid-2023, indicating higher inflation expectations.

What is LIBOR? The London Interbank Offered Rate, or LIBOR, is a benchmark interest rate that reflects the average interest rate at which major global banks lend to each other in the interbank market. It is used to establish interest rates for financial instruments such as adjustable-rate mortgages, business loans, and derivatives. The six-month overnight London Interbank Offered Rate based on the British pound increased month by month from 2022 onwards, reaching its peak in March 2023 at **** percent. This increase in borrowing costs has a ripple effect throughout the financial system, which means higher interest rates for businesses and consumers overall.

The term "inflation," also known as "currency devaluation" (drop in the value of money), is characterized by a steady rise in prices for finished products (consumer goods, capital goods). The consumer price index tracks price trends of private consumption expenditure and shows an increase in the index's current level of inflation. In 2022, Italy experienced an inflation rate of over eight percent compared to the previous year, the highest since at least 2004. 2022 was characterized by high inflation rates worldwide following the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine crisis. In 2024, the consumer price index dropped to 0.98 percent, showing a decrease in the inflationary phenomenon.

Wages for regular pay in the United Kingdom grew by approximately 4.6 percent in the three months to September 2025, compared with 4.7 percent in the previous month. When adjusted for inflation, however, wage in the UK grew by just 0.5 percent. Twenty months of inflation outpacing wages Between November 2021 and June 2023, inflation was higher than wage growth in the UK, resulting in falling real terms earnings throughout this 20-month period. While UK inflation peaked at 11.1 percent in October 2022, it was not until April 2023 that it fell below double figures, and not until May 2024 that it reached the Bank of England's target of two percent. Forecasts from the Autumn 2024 budget predict that the annual UK inflation for 2024 will be 2.5 percent, down from 7.3 percent in 2023 and 9.1 percent in 2022. Due to high inflation, the UK's minimum wage also rose quite significantly during this period, with the "main" rate increasing from 8.91 pounds per hour in 2021 to 12.21 pounds per hour in 2025. Average earnings and gender pay gap For full-time workers in the United Kingdom, the median average annual earnings was just over 39,000 British pounds in 2025, compared with around 37,500 pounds in 2024. In London, average earnings were significantly higher than the rest of the country, at just under 50,000 pounds. Just two other areas of the United Kingdom, the South East and Scotland, had annual salaries above the UK average. North East England had the lowest average salary, at 34,400 pounds. As of 2025, the gender pay gap for median gross hourly earnings in the UK was 12.8 percent for all workers, falling to 6.9 percent for full-time workers and -2.9 percent for part-time workers. Compared with 1997, when the gender pay gap was 27.5 percent for all workers, there has been a degree of progress, although, at current trends, it will be some time before the gap is closed entirely.

The value of approvals issued for house purchase lending in the UK plummeted at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, reaching a record low of 1.9 billion British pounds in May 2020. In the second half of the year, the release of pent-up demand led to the value of approvals spiking at over 23 billion British pounds in November 2020. With mortgage rates increasing in response to stubborn inflation, the value of mortgage approvals saw a substantial decrease in 2022 and an uptick in 2023, with the latest data showing a value of 15.6 billion British pounds in May 2025. Remortgage approvals followed a similar trend.

In 2024, the consumer price index (CPI) of pharmaceutical products in the United Kingdom (UK) was measured at some 133. The CPI is designed to measure changes in the prices of goods that consumers buy. The year 2015 is used as the base year for calculations, and therefore the index in this year measures 100. UK OTC medication market The sales value of the British over-the-counter (OTC) medicines market has generally increased since 2000, amounting to a worth of approximately 4.1 billion British pounds in 2024. The category with the highest sales value among OTC medication in 2024 was pain relief, which accounted for nearly 860 million British pounds worth of sales. Prescribed medication At the same time as the OTC market has been growing, the number of prescription items dispensed also increased during this period. In 2023/24, the number of items dispensed in England showed a record high of 1.11 billion. The average number of prescription items dispensed per month at pharmacies in England came to over 7,100 in 2023/24.

House prices in the UK rose dramatically during the coronavirus pandemic, with growth slowing down in 2022 and turning negative in 2023. The year-on-year annual house price change peaked at 14 percent in July 2022. In April 2025, house prices increased by 3.5 percent. As of late 2024, the average house price was close to 290,000 British pounds. Correction in housing prices: a European phenomenon The trend of a growing residential real estate market was not exclusive to the UK during the pandemic. Likewise, many European countries experienced falling prices in 2023. When comparing residential property RHPI (price index in real terms, e.g. corrected for inflation), countries such as Germany, France, Italy, and Spain also saw prices decline. Sweden, one of the countries with the fastest growing residential markets, saw one of the largest declines in prices. How has demand for UK housing changed since the outbreak of the coronavirus? The easing of the lockdown was followed by a dramatic increase in home sales. In November 2020, the number of mortgage approvals reached an all-time high of over 107,000. One of the reasons for the housing boom were the low mortgage rates, allowing home buyers to take out a loan with an interest rate as low as 2.5 percent. That changed as the Bank of England started to raise the base lending rate, resulting in higher borrowing costs and a decline in homebuyer sentiment.

When converted to the value of one US dollar in 2020, goods and services that cost one dollar in 1700 would cost just over 63 dollars in 2020, this means that one dollar in 1700 was worth approximately 63 times more than it is today. This data can be used to calculate how much goods and services from the years shown would cost today, by multiplying the price from then by the number shown in the graph. For example, an item that cost 50 dollars in 1970 would theoretically cost 335.5 US dollars in 2020 (50 x 6.71 = 335.5), although it is important to remember that the prices of individual goods and services inflate at different rates than currency, therefore this graph must only be used as a guide.