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.

Inflation Rate in New Zealand remained unchanged at 2.20 percent in the fourth quarter of 2024 from 2.20 percent in the third quarter of 2024. This dataset provides - New Zealand Inflation Rate - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Key information about New Zealand Consumer Price Index CPI growth

• New Zealand Consumer Price Index (CPI) growth was measured at 6.7 % YoY in Mar 2023, compared with a rate of 7.2 % in the previous quarter.
• New Zealand Consumer Price Index growth data is updated quarterly, available from Jun 1915 to Mar 2023, with an averaged number of 2.8 % YoY.
• The data reached an all-time high of 18.9 % YoY in Jun 1987 and a record low of -100.0 % YoY in Jun 1915.

Consumer Price Index CPI in New Zealand increased to 1287 points in the fourth quarter of 2024 from 1280 points in the third quarter of 2024. This dataset provides - New Zealand Consumer Price Index (CPI) - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

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.

Prices in New Zealand rose by 1.72 percent in 2020. Central bankers at the Reserve Bank of New Zealand were surely relieved to see the rebound from the dangerously low .29 percent inflation in 2015.

What is inflation?

Inflation is the rise in price levels in an economy. 2 percent inflation means 100 New Zealand dollars will be worth 98 dollars in one year. While the precise inflation target varies, most economists agree that inflation between 2 to 3 percent is optimal for an economy. High inflation can lead to higher unemployment because firms would rather wait and higher workers at the same price using future dollars, making the labor relatively cheaper. However, it affects the trade balance because of the relatively higher purchasing power of foreign currencies.

Other risks of inflation and deflation

Inflation helps a country with higher national debt when the debt is in the local currency, because the country can repay with the future dollars which are relatively cheaper. Deflation, then, helps when debts are in a foreign currency. The main problem with deflation is that investors prefer to hold their money, waiting to invest until it is worth more. This is particularly true of countries like New Zealand, where the lion’s share of employment is in the services sector.

Graph and download economic data for Consumer Price Index: Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas and Other Fuels (COICOP 04): Electricity, Gas and Other Fuels: Total for New Zealand (NZLCP040500GPQ) from Q1 1960 to Q3 2023 about water, New Zealand, fuels, electricity, gas, CPI, price index, indexes, and price.

Input Producer Prices in New Zealand decreased to 1426 points in the fourth quarter of 2024 from 1439 points in the third quarter of 2024. This dataset includes a chart with historical data for New Zealand Input Producer Prices.

In July 2024, the food price index in New Zealand had risen by around 0.6 percent in comparison to the same period of the previous year. The rising cost of food products contributed to the overall increasing cost of living in the country.

The rent price index in New Zealand in the fourth quarter of 2024 was 135.1, marking a rise from the same quarter of the previous year. This continued an upward trend of increasing rent prices compared to the base year of 2015.

The average inflation rate in Papua New Guinea was forecast to increase between 2024 and 2029 by in total 0.1 percentage points. This overall increase does not happen continuously, notably not in 2027 and 2028. The inflation is estimated to amount to 4.5 percent in 2029. Following the definitions provided by the International Monetary Fund, this indicator measures inflation based upon the year on year change in the average consumer price index. The latter expresses a country's average level of prices based on a typical basket of consumer goods and services. Depicted here is the year-on-year change in said index measure, expressed in percent.Find more key insights for the average inflation rate in countries like Vanuatu, Samoa, and New Zealand.

At 8.07 U.S. dollars, Switzerland has the most expensive Big Macs in the world, according to the July 2024 Big Mac index. Concurrently, the cost of a Big Mac was 5.69 dollars in the U.S., and 6.06 U.S. dollars in the Euro area. What is the Big Mac index? The Big Mac index, published by The Economist, is a novel way of measuring whether the market exchange rates for different countries’ currencies are overvalued or undervalued. It does this by measuring each currency against a common standard – the Big Mac hamburger sold by McDonald’s restaurants all over the world. Twice a year the Economist converts the average national price of a Big Mac into U.S. dollars using the exchange rate at that point in time. As a Big Mac is a completely standardized product across the world, the argument goes that it should have the same relative cost in every country. Differences in the cost of a Big Mac expressed as U.S. dollars therefore reflect differences in the purchasing power of each currency. Is the Big Mac index a good measure of purchasing power parity? Purchasing power parity (PPP) is the idea that items should cost the same in different countries, based on the exchange rate at that time. This relationship does not hold in practice. Factors like tax rates, wage regulations, whether components need to be imported, and the level of market competition all contribute to price variations between countries. The Big Mac index does measure this basic point – that one U.S. dollar can buy more in some countries than others. There are more accurate ways to measure differences in PPP though, which convert a larger range of products into their dollar price. Adjusting for PPP can have a massive effect on how we understand a country’s economy. The country with the largest GDP adjusted for PPP is China, but when looking at the unadjusted GDP of different countries, the U.S. has the largest economy.