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.

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.

The pound to euro history reveals that exchange rates in 2022 were not as low as they were during 2008 or since the Brexit referendum. Since the United Kingdom (UK) held a referendum on its European Union membership in June 2016, the British pound (GBP) weakened against the euro. From a high of 1.43 at the end of November 2015, the GBP to EUR exchange rate has remained below 1.2 since July 2016, sitting at 1.11 as of October 2020. By November 14, 2025, values had reached 1.13 euros per pound. The euro to pound exchange rate can be found on a different page.Hitting UK citizens' pocketsIt is not just European holidaymakers that are hit when the British pound to Euro exchange rate falls. The average UK consumer also feels the pinch as inflation rates often rise to cover the shortfall of the pound. When the inflation rate rises, the price of imported goods goes up and the consumer ends up paying more. GBP to U.S. dollarSince 2016's referendum, the British pound (GBP) fell across the exchange. The GBP's fall against the Euro was also reflected against the U.S. dollar where the exchange rate in May 2016 (pre-referendum) of 1.46 dollars to the pound has fallen significantly.