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.

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 inflation rate in the United States is expected to decrease to 2.1 percent by 2029. 2022 saw a year of exceptionally high inflation, reaching eight percent for the year. The data represents U.S. city averages. The base period was 1982-84. In economics, the inflation rate is a measurement of inflation, the rate of increase of a price index (in this case: consumer price index). It is the percentage rate of change in prices level over time. The rate of decrease in the purchasing power of money is approximately equal. According to the forecast, prices will increase by 2.9 percent in 2024. The annual inflation rate for previous years can be found here and the consumer price index for all urban consumers here. The monthly inflation rate for the United States can also be accessed here. Inflation in the U.S.Inflation is a term used to describe a general rise in the price of goods and services in an economy over a given period of time. Inflation in the United States is calculated using the consumer price index (CPI). The consumer price index is a measure of change in the price level of a preselected market basket of consumer goods and services purchased by households. This forecast of U.S. inflation was prepared by the International Monetary Fund. They project that inflation will stay higher than average throughout 2023, followed by a decrease to around roughly two percent annual rise in the general level of prices until 2028. Considering the annual inflation rate in the United States in 2021, a two percent inflation rate is a very moderate projection. The 2022 spike in inflation in the United States and worldwide is due to a variety of factors that have put constraints on various aspects of the economy. These factors include COVID-19 pandemic spending and supply-chain constraints, disruptions due to the war in Ukraine, and pandemic related changes in the labor force. Although the moderate inflation of prices between two and three percent is considered normal in a modern economy, countries’ central banks try to prevent severe inflation and deflation to keep the growth of prices to a minimum. Severe inflation is considered dangerous to a country’s economy because it can rapidly diminish the population’s purchasing power and thus damage the GDP .

Inflation is generally defined as the continued increase in the average prices of goods and services in a given region. Following the extremely high global inflation experienced in the 1980s and 1990s, global inflation has been relatively stable since the turn of the millennium, usually hovering between three and five percent per year. There was a sharp increase in 2008 due to the global financial crisis now known as the Great Recession, but inflation was fairly stable throughout the 2010s, before the current inflation crisis began in 2021. Recent years Despite the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the global inflation rate fell to 3.26 percent in the pandemic's first year, before rising to 4.66 percent in 2021. This increase came as the impact of supply chain delays began to take more of an effect on consumer prices, before the Russia-Ukraine war exacerbated this further. A series of compounding issues such as rising energy and food prices, fiscal instability in the wake of the pandemic, and consumer insecurity have created a new global recession, and global inflation in 2024 is estimated to have reached 5.76 percent. This is the highest annual increase in inflation since 1996. Venezuela Venezuela is the country with the highest individual inflation rate in the world, forecast at around 200 percent in 2022. While this is figure is over 100 times larger than the global average in most years, it actually marks a decrease in Venezuela's inflation rate, which had peaked at over 65,000 percent in 2018. Between 2016 and 2021, Venezuela experienced hyperinflation due to the government's excessive spending and printing of money in an attempt to curve its already-high inflation rate, and the wave of migrants that left the country resulted in one of the largest refugee crises in recent years. In addition to its economic problems, political instability and foreign sanctions pose further long-term problems for Venezuela. While hyperinflation may be coming to an end, it remains to be seen how much of an impact this will have on the economy, how living standards will change, and how many refugees may return in the coming years.

United States - 20-year Breakeven Inflation Rate was 2.41% in March of 2025, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - 20-year Breakeven Inflation Rate reached a record high of 2.94 in March of 2005 and a record low of 0.86 in December of 2008. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - 20-year Breakeven Inflation Rate - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on April of 2025.

In 2023, the U.S. Consumer Price Index was 309.42, and is projected to increase to 352.27 by 2029. The base period was 1982-84. The monthly CPI for all urban consumers in the U.S. can be accessed here. After a time of high inflation, the U.S. inflation rateis projected fall to two percent by 2027. United States Consumer Price Index ForecastIt is projected that the CPI will continue to rise year over year, reaching 325.6 in 2027. The Consumer Price Index of all urban consumers in previous years was lower, and has risen every year since 1992, except in 2009, when the CPI went from 215.30 in 2008 to 214.54 in 2009. The monthly unadjusted Consumer Price Index was 296.17 for the month of August in 2022. The U.S. CPI measures changes in the price of consumer goods and services purchased by households and is thought to reflect inflation in the U.S. as well as the health of the economy. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics calculates the CPI and defines it as, "a measure of the average change over time in the prices paid by urban consumers for a market basket of consumer goods and services." The BLS records the price of thousands of goods and services month by month. They consider goods and services within eight main categories: food and beverage, housing, apparel, transportation, medical care, recreation, education, and other goods and services. They aggregate the data collected in order to compare how much it would cost a consumer to buy the same market basket of goods and services within one month or one year compared with the previous month or year. Given that the CPI is used to calculate U.S. inflation, the CPI influences the annual adjustments of many financial institutions in the United States, both private and public. Wages, social security payments, and pensions are all affected by the CPI.

Inflation rates for the lowest income households were almost always higher than for the highest income households between 2005 and 2021. The biggest difference was seen in December 2008, when the lowest income households experienced inflation rates 0.8 percent greater than the highest income households. In 2021, the difference in the inflation rate experienced by the lowest income households and the highest income households fell considerably, reaching -0.52 percent in July 2021, meaning that inflation was 0.52 percent higher for the highest earners versus the lowest earners.

The Consumer Price Index The consumer price index (CPI) measures the rate of inflation on a basket of goods as a way to document the general inflationary experience of all urban consumers. While this measure of inflation can give us insights into the general price increases of consumer goods, it may not reflect the actual inflation experienced by any given household. Consumers from different income brackets actually behave quite differently when it comes to consumption preferences and their willingness to pay.

Inflation in 2022 2022 was an exceptional year for inflation worldwide due to a multitude of factors relating to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The inflation rate in the United States reached a high of 9.1 percent during the summer, with consumers experiencing record fuel prices, and increased concerns over the state of the economy. Despite the 2021 figures indicating that inflation has been higher for the highest earners, the pandemic saw U.S. billionaires increase their wealth by 57 percent between March 2020 and March 2022.

Inflation Rate in Vietnam increased to 3.24 percent in May from 3.12 percent in April of 2025. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - Vietnam Inflation Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

FRBOP Forecast: Core CPI Inflation: sa: Mean data was reported at 2.346 % in Mar 2019. This records an increase from the previous number of 2.116 % for Dec 2018. FRBOP Forecast: Core CPI Inflation: sa: Mean data is updated quarterly, averaging 1.873 % from Mar 2007 (Median) to Mar 2019, with 49 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2.523 % in Sep 2008 and a record low of 0.700 % in Mar 2009. FRBOP Forecast: Core CPI Inflation: sa: Mean data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.I008: Consumer Price Index: Urban: sa: Forecast: Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.

CSI: Expected Inflation: Next Yr: Same data was reported at 10.000 % in May 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 12.000 % for Apr 2018. CSI: Expected Inflation: Next Yr: Same data is updated monthly, averaging 15.000 % from Jan 1978 (Median) to May 2018, with 485 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 35.000 % in Mar 1983 and a record low of 3.000 % in May 2008. CSI: Expected Inflation: Next Yr: Same data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by University of Michigan. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.H030: Consumer Sentiment Index: Unemployment, Interest Rates, Prices and Government Expectations. The questions were: 'During the next 12 months, do you think that prices in general will go up, or go down, or stay where they are now?' and 'By what percent do you expect prices to go up, on the average, during the next 12 months?'

United States FRBOP Forecast:(CPI) Consumer Price IndexInflation: sa: Mean: Plus 1 Qtr data was reported at 2.305 % in Mar 2019. This records a decrease from the previous number of 2.427 % for Dec 2018. United States FRBOP Forecast:(CPI) Consumer Price IndexInflation: sa: Mean: Plus 1 Qtr data is updated quarterly, averaging 2.528 % from Sep 1981 (Median) to Mar 2019, with 151 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 7.928 % in Sep 1981 and a record low of 0.604 % in Dec 2008. United States FRBOP Forecast:(CPI) Consumer Price IndexInflation: sa: Mean: Plus 1 Qtr data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.I008: Consumer Price Index: Urban: sa: Forecast: Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.

Inflation Rate in Russia decreased to 10.20 percent in April from 10.30 percent in March of 2025. This dataset provides - Russia Inflation Rate - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

During the period beginning roughly in the mid-1980s until the Global Financial Crisis (2007-2008), the U.S. economy experienced a time of relative economic calm, with low inflation and consistent GDP growth. Compared with the turbulent economic era which had preceded it in the 1970s and the early 1980s, the lack of extreme fluctuations in the business cycle led some commentators to suggest that macroeconomic issues such as high inflation, long-term unemployment and financial crises were a thing of the past. Indeed, the President of the American Economic Association, Professor Robert Lucas, famously proclaimed in 2003 that "central problem of depression prevention has been solved, for all practical purposes". Ben Bernanke, the future chairman of the Federal Reserve during the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) and 2022 Nobel Prize in Economics recipient, coined the term 'the Great Moderation' to describe this era of newfound economic confidence. The era came to an abrupt end with the outbreak of the GFC in the Summer of 2007, as the U.S. financial system began to crash due to a downturn in the real estate market.

Causes of the Great Moderation, and its downfall

A number of factors have been cited as contributing to the Great Moderation including central bank monetary policies, the shift from manufacturing to services in the economy, improvements in information technology and management practices, as well as reduced energy prices. The period coincided with the term of Fed chairman Alan Greenspan (1987-2006), famous for the 'Greenspan put', a policy which meant that the Fed would proactively address downturns in the stock market using its monetary policy tools. These economic factors came to prominence at the same time as the end of the Cold War (1947-1991), with the U.S. attaining a new level of hegemony in global politics, as its main geopolitical rival, the Soviet Union, no longer existed. During the Great Moderation, the U.S. experienced a recession twice, between July 1990 and March 1991, and again from March 2001 tom November 2001, however, these relatively short recessions did not knock the U.S. off its growth path. The build up of household and corporate debt over the early 2000s eventually led to the Global Financial Crisis, as the bursting of the U.S. housing bubble in 2007 reverberated across the financial system, with a subsequent credit freeze and mass defaults.

United States - 10-Year Breakeven Inflation Rate was 2.24% in April of 2025, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - 10-Year Breakeven Inflation Rate reached a record high of 2.88 in April of 2022 and a record low of 0.25 in December of 2008. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - 10-Year Breakeven Inflation Rate - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on June of 2025.

FRBOP Forecast: Core CPI Inflation: sa: Median data was reported at 2.205 % in Jun 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 2.241 % for Mar 2018. FRBOP Forecast: Core CPI Inflation: sa: Median data is updated quarterly, averaging 1.899 % from Mar 2007 (Median) to Jun 2018, with 46 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2.500 % in Sep 2008 and a record low of 0.600 % in Mar 2009. FRBOP Forecast: Core CPI Inflation: sa: Median data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.I008: Consumer Price Index: Urban: sa: Forecast: Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.

Interactive chart of historical data showing the broad price-adjusted U.S. dollar index published by the Federal Reserve. The index is adjusted for the aggregated home inflation rates of all included currencies. The price adjustment is especially important with our Asian and South American trading partners due to their significant inflation episodes of the 80s and 90s.

CSI: Expected Inflation: Next Yr: Down data was reported at 1.000 % in May 2018. This stayed constant from the previous number of 1.000 % for Apr 2018. CSI: Expected Inflation: Next Yr: Down data is updated monthly, averaging 3.000 % from Jan 1978 (Median) to May 2018, with 485 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 23.000 % in Dec 2008 and a record low of 0.000 % in Oct 1999. CSI: Expected Inflation: Next Yr: Down data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by University of Michigan. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.H030: Consumer Sentiment Index: Unemployment, Interest Rates, Prices and Government Expectations. The questions were: 'During the next 12 months, do you think that prices in general will go up, or go down, or stay where they are now?' and 'By what percent do you expect prices to go up, on the average, during the next 12 months?'

In 2023, the usual median hourly rate of a worker's wage in the United States was 19.24 U.S. dollars, a decrease from the previous year. Dollar value is based on 2023 U.S. dollars. In 1979, the median hourly earnings in the U.S. was 17.48 dollars.

United States CSI: Expected Inflation: Next Yr: 25th Percentile data was reported at 1.500 % in May 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 1.200 % for Apr 2018. United States CSI: Expected Inflation: Next Yr: 25th Percentile data is updated monthly, averaging 1.200 % from Jan 1978 (Median) to May 2018, with 485 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 6.800 % in Jan 1980 and a record low of -0.400 % in Dec 2008. United States CSI: Expected Inflation: Next Yr: 25th Percentile data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by University of Michigan. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.H030: Consumer Sentiment Index: Unemployment, Interest Rates, Prices and Government Expectations. The questions were: 'During the next 12 months, do you think that prices in general will go up, or go down, or stay where they are now?' and 'By what percent do you expect prices to go up, on the average, during the next 12 months?'

United States - 7-year Breakeven Inflation Rate was 2.26% in April of 2025, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - 7-year Breakeven Inflation Rate reached a record high of 3.14 in March of 2022 and a record low of -1.02 in November of 2008. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - 7-year Breakeven Inflation Rate - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on June of 2025.