UK inflation rate (CPI)

Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS), series D7G7. Monthly, usually a Wednesday in the middle of the month, 7am; next release 21 October 2026

UK inflation rate (CPI): every value, by year, with a CSV download →

What it measures

The Consumer Prices Index (CPI) measures the average change in the prices of a fixed basket of goods and services bought by households in the UK. The figure shown here is the 12-month rate: how much the index has risen compared with the same month a year earlier. CPI is the measure the Government uses for the Bank of England's 2% inflation target, and it is built to international standards so it can be compared with other countries. It excludes owner occupiers' housing costs and council tax, which are added in CPIH. See CPI in the glossary.

How to read it

A falling rate means prices are rising more slowly, not that they are falling; prices only fall overall when the rate is below zero. Compare the latest month with the trend over several months in the chart, because one month can be moved by a single item such as fuel, airfares or energy bills. The monthly change is not seasonally adjusted, which is why the ONS headlines the 12-month rate. CPI is not normally revised once published, so a figure quoted with its month should match the series. When a claim compares the rate with the 2% target, the gap is in percentage points, not per cent. Check which index a speaker means: CPIH and RPI give different rates for the same month.

Background

The ONS series for the CPI 12-month rate starts in January 1989. CPI was first published under the name Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices and became the measure for the UK inflation target in December 2003, replacing RPIX. In the ONS series the highest rate is 11.1% in October 2022 and the lowest is minus 0.1%, recorded in April, September and October 2015. Each year the ONS updates the basket, adding and removing items to reflect what people buy, and publishes the changes. The UK Statistics Authority oversees CPI as accredited official statistics.

Other parts of the UK

ONS consumer price inflation bulletin (UK only; no official regional CPI is published)

What is the inflation rate in the UK this month?

The figure at the top of this page is the latest CPI 12-month rate published by the ONS, with the month it covers. CPI figures are released about four weeks after the month ends, so a rate published in September covers August. The page updates automatically when the ONS publishes, normally at 7am on a Wednesday in the middle of the month.

What does it mean when inflation falls but prices are still going up?

The inflation rate measures how fast prices are rising, not the price level. If CPI falls from 4% to 3%, prices are still on average 3% higher than a year earlier, just rising more slowly than before. Average prices only fall when the 12-month rate is negative, which in the ONS CPI series last happened in 2015.

Why is CPI used for the inflation target instead of RPI?

The Government sets the target in its remit to the Bank of England, and since December 2003 that target has been 2% on CPI. CPI follows international rules, so it can be compared with other countries, and the ONS says the formula used in RPI overstates inflation. RPI is no longer accredited official statistics but still appears in some contracts and index-linked gilts.

Related questions

• What is the current UK inflation rate?
• How is UK inflation measured?
• What is the difference between CPI, CPIH and RPI?
• Is UK inflation going down?
• What is the UK inflation target?

More on this source: UK Statistics Authority and Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR)