UK inflation compared with EU countries
In 2025 the UK had the joint 10th-highest inflation rate of the UK and 27 EU countries with figures for that year: 3.4%. The range ran from 0.8% in Cyprus to 7.3% in Romania. The simple average across the 28 was 3.0%, a difference of 0.4 percentage points from the UK's figure.
On the OECD's latest monthly figures, the UK's inflation rate was 3.3% in August 2026, the joint 9th-highest of the 25 countries in this table with a figure for that month.
| Rank | Country | 2025 (%) | 2016 | Latest month (OECD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Romania UK v Romania | 7.3% | minus 1.6% | – |
| 2 | Estonia UK v Estonia | 4.8% | 0.8% | 3.5% September 2026 |
| 3= | Croatia UK v Croatia | 4.4% | minus 0.6% | 4.2% August 2026 |
| 3= | Hungary UK v Hungary | 4.4% | 0.4% | 1.5% September 2026 |
| 5 | Slovakia UK v Slovakia | 4.2% | minus 0.5% | 3.1% August 2026 |
| 6 | Latvia UK v Latvia | 3.8% | 0.1% | 3.2% September 2026 |
| 7= | Austria UK v Austria | 3.6% | 1.0% | 3.2% August 2026 |
| 7= | Poland UK v Poland | 3.6% | minus 0.6% | 3.4% August 2026 |
| 9 | Bulgaria UK v Bulgaria | 3.5% | minus 1.3% | 5.1% August 2026 |
| 10= | Lithuania UK v Lithuania | 3.4% | 0.7% | 6.7% September 2026 |
| 10= | United Kingdom | 3.4% | 0.7% | 3.3% August 2026 |
| 12= | Belgium UK v Belgium | 3.0% | 1.8% | 4.7% September 2026 |
| 12= | Netherlands UK v Netherlands | 3.0% | 0.1% | 3.3% August 2026 |
| 14 | Greece UK v Greece | 2.9% | 0.0% | 5.0% September 2026 |
| 15 | Spain UK v Spain | 2.7% | minus 0.3% | 4.3% August 2026 |
| 16 | Sweden UK v Sweden | 2.6% | 1.1% | 0.3% August 2026 |
| 17= | Czechia UK v Czechia | 2.5% | 0.6% | 1.9% August 2026 |
| 17= | Luxembourg UK v Luxembourg | 2.5% | 0.0% | 2.9% September 2026 |
| 17= | Slovenia UK v Slovenia | 2.5% | minus 0.2% | 3.3% September 2026 |
| 20 | Malta UK v Malta | 2.4% | 0.9% | – |
| 21 | Germany UK v Germany | 2.3% | 0.4% | 3.3% September 2026 |
| 22 | Portugal UK v Portugal | 2.2% | 0.6% | 3.6% September 2026 |
| 23 | Ireland UK v Ireland | 2.1% | minus 0.2% | 4.1% September 2026 |
| 24= | Denmark UK v Denmark | 1.8% | 0.0% | 2.2% September 2026 |
| 24= | Finland UK v Finland | 1.8% | 0.4% | 2.2% August 2026 |
| 26 | Italy UK v Italy | 1.6% | minus 0.1% | 3.3% August 2026 |
| 27 | France UK v France | 0.9% | 0.3% | 2.4% August 2026 |
| 28 | Cyprus UK v Cyprus | 0.8% | minus 1.2% | – |
The UK over ten years
From 2016 to 2025 the UK's figure was highest in 2022 (9.1%) and lowest in 2016 (0.7%).
The UK's figure was higher than the average in seven of the ten years from 2016 to 2025 and lower in three.
In 2016 the UK ranked 6th of the 28 countries with a figure; in 2025 it ranked 10th of 28.
Seven countries had a lower figure than the UK in 2016 and a higher one in 2025: Romania, Croatia, Hungary, Slovakia, Latvia, Poland and Bulgaria.
Three countries had a higher figure than the UK in 2016 and a lower one in 2025: Belgium, Sweden and Malta.
The IMF's projection for the UK in 2026 is 3.3%.
How the IMF measures it
In the IMF's World Economic Outlook, a country's inflation rate for a year is how much its consumer price index, averaged over the twelve months, rose compared with the previous year's average. Each country's own index is used: for the UK, the ONS CPI; for EU members, usually the national index, which can differ slightly from Eurostat's harmonised index (HICP). The latest-month column is the OECD's 12-month rate for the most recent month each country has reported.
IMF figures for recent years can include IMF staff estimates; the IMF revises them in each April and October edition.
Countries compared: The 27 EU member states, with the UK shown alongside. The table uses the latest year for which the UK and at least three-quarters of the countries the IMF covers have a figure, so every value is for the same period.
Why this differs from the UK's own figures
Each month the ONS reports the CPI 12-month rate, for example the change between August last year and August this year; that is the figure in the OECD column for the UK. The IMF figure averages the whole year, so it differs from any one month's ONS rate. In the EU the headline measure is Eurostat's Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices; the ONS CPI is built to the same harmonised rules, which is why it was the UK's figure in Eurostat's tables while the UK was a member. The ONS's other measures, CPIH and RPI, include housing costs that the CPI leaves out and are not used here.
The UK's own latest figure, with its definition and release dates: UK inflation rate (CPI).
Sources and receipts
Every value on this page was read from these addresses. The SHA-256 is the fingerprint of the file as downloaded, so a later change at the source can be detected.
- https://www.imf.org/external/datamapper/api/v1/PCPIPCH
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook database (IMF DataMapper) · read 2026-10-14 · SHA-256
e36fb78dc58c5b50… - https://sdmx.oecd.org/public/rest/data/OECD.SDD.TPS,DSD_PRICES@DF_PRICES_ALL,1.0/.M..CPI.PA._T+CP045.N.GY?s…
OECD, Consumer price indices · read 2026-10-14 · SHA-256
7f602aa3372de03a… - https://sdmx.oecd.org/public/rest/data/OECD.SDD.TPS,DSD_PRICES_COICOP2018@DF_PRICES_C2018_ALL,1.0/.M..CPI.P…
OECD, Consumer price indices · read 2026-10-14 · SHA-256
ee244608acd0fa96… - International Monetary Fund: World Economic Outlook database (IMF DataMapper)The publisher's page for this data, indicator PCPIPCH.
Common questions
Where does the UK rank for inflation rate compared with EU countries?
IMF figures for 2025 put the UK 10th (joint) of 28, counting from the highest, at 3.4%.
Which country in this table has the highest inflation rate?
Romania, at 7.3% in 2025 (International Monetary Fund).
Which country in this table has the lowest inflation rate?
Cyprus, at 0.8% in 2025 (International Monetary Fund).
What is the EU average inflation rate?
The simple average of the 27 EU countries with figures for 2025 is 3.0%. The UK's figure is 3.4%.
How has the UK's inflation rate changed since 2016?
IMF figures give 0.7% for 2016 and 3.4% for 2025; the ten-year chart above shows the years in between.
What is the latest monthly figure?
On the OECD's latest monthly figures, the UK's inflation rate was 3.3% in August 2026, the joint 9th-highest of the 25 countries in this table with a figure for that month.
Is this the same as the UK's official figure?
Each month the ONS reports the CPI 12-month rate, for example the change between August last year and August this year; that is the figure in the OECD column for the UK. The IMF figure averages the whole year, so it differs from any one month's ONS rate.
More comparisons
- UK inflation compared with the G7
- UK unemployment compared with EU countries
- UK GDP growth compared with EU countries
- UK population density compared with EU countries
Compare any two countries on GDP, inflation, unemployment, debt and life expectancy: country comparison tool.
These pages state each body's figures and the UK's position among them. They give no view on whether a figure is high or low. To report an error, send a correction request.