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 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.

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.

Measures of monthly UK inflation data including CPIH, CPI and RPI. These tables complement the consumer price inflation time series dataset.

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.

The Consumer Price Index of the United Kingdom was 136 in the first quarter of 2025, indicating that consumer prices have increased by 36 percent when compared with the first quarter of 2015. As of March 2025, the inflation rate for the CPI was 2.6 percent, a slight fall from the previous month. A long period of elevated inflation between 2021 and 2023 peaked in October 2022, and saw prices increase by over 20 percent in just three years. Uptick in inflation expected in 2025 In late 2024, the UK's main economic forecaster; the Office for Budget Responsibility, predicted that the annual inflation rate for 2025 would average out at around 2.6 percent. In March 2025, however, the OBR revised this figure upward, with annual inflation now expected to be 3.2 percent. This uptick in inflation is predicted to peak in the third quarter of the year at 3.7 percent, before falling to two percent by the second quarter of 2026. Although this period of higher inflation is predicted to be far less severe than in 2022, it will no doubt put further pressure on households already struggling with their cost of living. Cost of living woes continue The share of UK households reporting that their cost of living was increasing has been steadily rising since Summer 2024. At that time, less than half of UK households reported rising costs, down from 91 percent two years earlier. As of March 2025, however, 59 percent of households said their costs were rising, the highest figure since 2023. Of these households, 93 percent reported that their food shop was increasing, with three quarters of them reporting higher energy costs. With higher inflation predicted in 2025, the pressure on UK households will likely continue, although a crisis on the scale of 2021-2023 will hopefully be avoided.

Inflation for housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels in the United Kingdom was 1.9 percent in the first quarter of 2025, compared with three percent in the previous quarter.

As of the first quarter of 2025, the CPIH index in the United Kingdom was ***** indicating that consumer goods and services had increased in price by **** percent when compared with the baseline year of 2015. In March 2025, the CPIH inflation rate was *** 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 *** percent in October 2022, the CPIH inflation rate fell throughout 2023 and into 2024, eventually falling to a low of *** 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 *** percent, and then by *** 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.

Comprehensive database of time series covering measures of inflation data for the UK including CPIH, CPI and RPI.

Cost of food in the United Kingdom increased 4.40 percent in May of 2025 over the same month in the previous year. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - United Kingdom Food Inflation - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

The inflation rate in the health sector of the United Kingdom was **** percent in the first quarter of 2025, which was above the overall inflation rate for that quarter.

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.

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.

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.

The inflation rate for clothing and footwear in the United Kingdom was *** percent in the first quarter of 2025, which was below the overall inflation rate for that quarter.

Energy Inflation in the United Kingdom decreased to -1.70 percent in May from -0.90 percent in April of 2025. This dataset includes a chart with historical data for the United Kingdom Energy Inflation.

The inflation rate for miscellaneous goods and services in the United Kingdom was *** percent in the first quarter of 2025, slightly above the overall inflation rate of *** percent.

Construction Output Price Indices (OPIs) from January 2014 to December 2024, UK. Summary.

Representative items within the Consumer Prices Index including owner occupiers' housing costs, Consumer Prices Index and Retail Prices Index for the basket of goods and services.

Inflation Rate in Poland increased to 4.10 percent in June from 4 percent in May of 2025. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - Poland Inflation Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.