Graph and download economic data for Inflation, consumer prices for the United States (FPCPITOTLZGUSA) from 1960 to 2024 about consumer, CPI, inflation, price index, indexes, price, and USA.

The Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) gives comparable measures of inflation for the countries and country groups for which it is produced. It is an economic indicator that measures the change over time of the prices of consumer goods and services acquired by households. In other words, it is a set of consumer price indices (CPIs) calculated according to a harmonised approach and a set of definitions as laid down in Regulations and Recommendations.

In addition, the HICP provides the official measure of consumer price inflation in the euro area for the purposes of monetary policy and the assessment of inflation convergence as required under the Maastricht criteria for accession to the euro.

The HICP is available for all EU Member States, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland. In addition to the individual country series there are three country groups: the euro area (EA), the European Union (EU), and the European Economic Area (EEA), the latter covering Iceland and Norway, in addition to the EU. Liechtenstein does not produce HICP and is therefore not included in the EEA HICP aggregate.

The official indices for the country-groups reflect the changing country composition of the EA, the EU and the EEA. The HICP for new Member States is chained into the aggregate indices at the time of accession. For analytical purposes Eurostat also computes country-group indices with stable country composition over time.

HICP for Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Türkiye (candidate countries), as well as Kosovo (^*) are also published. Their data is flagged with 'd' ('definition differs'), given that its conformity with the methodological HICP requirements has not been evaluated by Eurostat.

A proxy-HICP for the all-items index and main headings is also available for the USA.

National HICPs are produced by National Statistical Institutes (NSIs), while country-group indices (EU, EA and EEA) are produced by Eurostat.

The data are released monthly in Eurostat's database and include price indices and rates of change (monthly, annual and 12-month moving average changes). In addition to the headline 'all-items HICP', over 400 sub-indices for different goods and services and over 30 special aggregates are available, including the HICP at administered prices (HICP-AP).

Every year, with the release of the January data, the relative weights for the indices and the special aggregates (item weights) as well as the individual countries' weight within the country groups (country weights) are published.

The composition of the HICP for administered prices (HICP-AP), i.e. which sub-indices are classified as mainly or fully administered by each Member State, is updated at the same time (more information on HICP-AP can be found under the Specific topics on the web page: Information on data - Harmonised Indices of Consumer Prices (HICP) - Eurostat (europa.eu) (#HICP - administered prices).

Eurostat publishes early estimates, called 'flash estimate', of the euro area overall inflation rate and selected components. These are published monthly, usually on the last working day of the reference month.

The HICP at constant tax rates (HICP-CT) is also published every month and follows the same computation principles as the HICP, but is based on prices at constant tax rates. The comparison with the standard HICP can show the potential impact of changes in indirect taxes, such as value-added tax (VAT) and excise duties, on the overall inflation (more information can be found in the 'HICP-CT Reference methodology document').

Flags

Flags used in the Eurostat online database provide information about the status of the data or a specific data value. The list of used flags can be found in the web page Database - Eurostat (europa.eu), above the tree, through the 'i' box 'information on the database' and then 'Flags and special values' topic.

(*) Under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244/99.

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 Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) gives comparable measures of inflation for the countries and country groups for which it is produced. It is an economic indicator that measures the change over time of the prices of consumer goods and services acquired by households. In other words, it is a set of consumer price indices (CPIs) calculated according to a harmonised approach and a set of definitions as laid down in Regulations and Recommendations.

In addition, the HICP provides the official measure of consumer price inflation in the euro area for the purposes of monetary policy and the assessment of inflation convergence as required under the Maastricht criteria for accession to the euro.

The HICP is available for all EU Member States, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland. In addition to the individual country series there are three country groups: the euro area (EA), the European Union (EU), and the European Economic Area (EEA), the latter covering Iceland and Norway, in addition to the EU. Liechtenstein does not produce HICP and is therefore not included in the EEA HICP aggregate.

The official indices for the country-groups reflect the changing country composition of the EA, the EU and the EEA. The HICP for new Member States is chained into the aggregate indices at the time of accession. For analytical purposes Eurostat also computes country-group indices with stable country composition over time.

HICP for Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Türkiye (candidate countries), as well as Kosovo (^*) are also published. Their data is flagged with 'd' ('definition differs'), given that its conformity with the methodological HICP requirements has not been evaluated by Eurostat.

A proxy-HICP for the all-items index and main headings is also available for the USA.

National HICPs are produced by National Statistical Institutes (NSIs), while country-group indices (EU, EA and EEA) are produced by Eurostat.

The data are released monthly in Eurostat's database and include price indices and rates of change (monthly, annual and 12-month moving average changes). In addition to the headline 'all-items HICP', over 400 sub-indices for different goods and services and over 30 special aggregates are available, including the HICP at administered prices (HICP-AP).

Every year, with the release of the January data, the relative weights for the indices and the special aggregates (item weights) as well as the individual countries' weight within the country groups (country weights) are published.

The composition of the HICP for administered prices (HICP-AP), i.e. which sub-indices are classified as mainly or fully administered by each Member State, is updated at the same time (more information on HICP-AP can be found under the Specific topics on the web page: Information on data - Harmonised Indices of Consumer Prices (HICP) - Eurostat (europa.eu) (#HICP - administered prices).

Eurostat publishes early estimates, called 'flash estimate', of the euro area overall inflation rate and selected components. These are published monthly, usually on the last working day of the reference month.

The HICP at constant tax rates (HICP-CT) is also published every month and follows the same computation principles as the HICP, but is based on prices at constant tax rates. The comparison with the standard HICP can show the potential impact of changes in indirect taxes, such as value-added tax (VAT) and excise duties, on the overall inflation (more information can be found in the 'HICP-CT Reference methodology document').

Flags

Flags used in the Eurostat online database provide information about the status of the data or a specific data value. The list of used flags can be found in the web page Database - Eurostat (europa.eu), above the tree, through the 'i' box 'information on the database' and then 'Flags and special values' topic.

(*) Under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244/99.

View data of PCE, an index that measures monthly changes in the price of consumer goods and services as a means of analyzing inflation.

The Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) gives comparable measures of inflation for the countries and country groups for which it is produced. It is an economic indicator that measures the change over time of the prices of consumer goods and services acquired by households. In other words, it is a set of consumer price indices (CPIs) calculated according to a harmonised approach and a set of definitions as laid down in Regulations and Recommendations.

In addition, the HICP provides the official measure of consumer price inflation in the euro area for the purposes of monetary policy and the assessment of inflation convergence as required under the Maastricht criteria for accession to the euro.

The HICP is available for all EU Member States, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland. In addition to the individual country series there are three country groups: the euro area (EA), the European Union (EU), and the European Economic Area (EEA), the latter covering Iceland and Norway, in addition to the EU. Liechtenstein does not produce HICP and is therefore not included in the EEA HICP aggregate.

The official indices for the country-groups reflect the changing country composition of the EA, the EU and the EEA. The HICP for new Member States is chained into the aggregate indices at the time of accession. For analytical purposes Eurostat also computes country-group indices with stable country composition over time.

HICP for Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Türkiye (candidate countries), as well as Kosovo (^*) are also published. Their data is flagged with 'd' ('definition differs'), given that its conformity with the methodological HICP requirements has not been evaluated by Eurostat.

A proxy-HICP for the all-items index and main headings is also available for the USA.

National HICPs are produced by National Statistical Institutes (NSIs), while country-group indices (EU, EA and EEA) are produced by Eurostat.

The data are released monthly in Eurostat's database and include price indices and rates of change (monthly, annual and 12-month moving average changes). In addition to the headline 'all-items HICP', over 400 sub-indices for different goods and services and over 30 special aggregates are available, including the HICP at administered prices (HICP-AP).

Every year, with the release of the January data, the relative weights for the indices and the special aggregates (item weights) as well as the individual countries' weight within the country groups (country weights) are published.

The composition of the HICP for administered prices (HICP-AP), i.e. which sub-indices are classified as mainly or fully administered by each Member State, is updated at the same time (more information on HICP-AP can be found under the Specific topics on the web page: Information on data - Harmonised Indices of Consumer Prices (HICP) - Eurostat (europa.eu) (#HICP - administered prices).

Eurostat publishes early estimates, called 'flash estimate', of the euro area overall inflation rate and selected components. These are published monthly, usually on the last working day of the reference month.

The HICP at constant tax rates (HICP-CT) is also published every month and follows the same computation principles as the HICP, but is based on prices at constant tax rates. The comparison with the standard HICP can show the potential impact of changes in indirect taxes, such as value-added tax (VAT) and excise duties, on the overall inflation (more information can be found in the 'HICP-CT Reference methodology document').

Flags

Flags used in the Eurostat online database provide information about the status of the data or a specific data value. The list of used flags can be found in the web page Database - Eurostat (europa.eu), above the tree, through the 'i' box 'information on the database' and then 'Flags and special values' topic.

(*) Under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244/99.