UK inflation
Inflation was 2.9% in the 12 months to July 2026. That is the rate prices rose over the year — not the amount they fell.
What this actually means
It is a comparison with a year ago, not with last month. The 2.9% figure means prices in July 2026 were 2.9% higher than in July 2025. It is not the jump since the month before.
In pounds: something that cost £100 in July 2025 costs about £102.90 now, if its price moved in line with the average. Your own figure depends on what you buy — the rate is an average across a basket of goods and services, not a bill.
Falling inflation does not mean falling prices. This is the point most often got wrong. When the rate goes down, prices are still going up — just more slowly. Prices only fall when the rate goes below zero, which last happened in October 2015. The price rises of the past few years are still in the level you pay.
The Bank of England aims for 2%. The last month at or below that was September 2024, at 1.7%. A rate above target is why interest-rate decisions get argued about; this page does not take a view on what should be done about it.
What drove this change
ONS publishes its own analysis of which parts of the basket moved the rate between June 2026 and July 2026. These are its words, not ours.
Pushed the rate up
The largest upward contribution came from housing and household services, particularly gas and electricity.
Pulled the rate down
The largest downward contribution came from transport.
A contribution analysis says which categories moved the index. It does not say why those categories moved, and this page does not fill that gap with a guess.
Source: ONS, Consumer price inflation, July 2026 · published 2026-08-19 · last verified 2026-08-19
Inflation over time
UK inflation rate, last 5 years (CPI, % change over 12 months)
The same series, closer in. The last month at or below the 2% target was September 2024, at 1.7%.
View data table
| Year | CPI annual rate % |
|---|---|
| 2021-08 | 3.2 |
| 2021-09 | 3.1 |
| 2021-10 | 4.2 |
| 2021-11 | 5.1 |
| 2021-12 | 5.4 |
| 2022-01 | 5.5 |
| 2022-02 | 6.2 |
| 2022-03 | 7 |
| 2022-04 | 9 |
| 2022-05 | 9.1 |
| 2022-06 | 9.4 |
| 2022-07 | 10.1 |
| 2022-08 | 9.9 |
| 2022-09 | 10.1 |
| 2022-10 | 11.1 |
| 2022-11 | 10.7 |
| 2022-12 | 10.5 |
| 2023-01 | 10.1 |
| 2023-02 | 10.4 |
| 2023-03 | 10.1 |
| 2023-04 | 8.7 |
| 2023-05 | 8.7 |
| 2023-06 | 7.9 |
| 2023-07 | 6.8 |
| 2023-08 | 6.7 |
| 2023-09 | 6.7 |
| 2023-10 | 4.6 |
| 2023-11 | 3.9 |
| 2023-12 | 4 |
| 2024-01 | 4 |
| 2024-02 | 3.4 |
| 2024-03 | 3.2 |
| 2024-04 | 2.3 |
| 2024-05 | 2 |
| 2024-06 | 2 |
| 2024-07 | 2.2 |
| 2024-08 | 2.2 |
| 2024-09 | 1.7 |
| 2024-10 | 2.3 |
| 2024-11 | 2.6 |
| 2024-12 | 2.5 |
| 2025-01 | 3 |
| 2025-02 | 2.8 |
| 2025-03 | 2.6 |
| 2025-04 | 3.5 |
| 2025-05 | 3.4 |
| 2025-06 | 3.6 |
| 2025-07 | 3.8 |
| 2025-08 | 3.8 |
| 2025-09 | 3.8 |
| 2025-10 | 3.6 |
| 2025-11 | 3.2 |
| 2025-12 | 3.4 |
| 2026-01 | 3 |
| 2026-02 | 3 |
| 2026-03 | 3.3 |
| 2026-04 | 2.8 |
| 2026-05 | 2.8 |
| 2026-06 | 2.6 |
| 2026-07 | 2.9 |
United Kingdom · Source: Office for National Statistics, CPI ANNUAL RATE 00: ALL ITEMS 2015=100 (series D7G7) · series D7G7 · as of July 2026 (series retrieved 2026-08-19)
UK inflation rate (CPI, % change over 12 months)
Each point is the change in consumer prices over the twelve months ending that month. Inflation peaked at 11.1% in October 2022 and stands at 2.9% in July 2026. CPI has been compiled on a consistent basis throughout the period shown, so no series break is marked.
View data table
| Year | CPI annual rate % |
|---|---|
| 2000-01 | 0.8 |
| 2000-02 | 0.9 |
| 2000-03 | 0.6 |
| 2000-04 | 0.6 |
| 2000-05 | 0.5 |
| 2000-06 | 0.8 |
| 2000-07 | 0.9 |
| 2000-08 | 0.6 |
| 2000-09 | 1 |
| 2000-10 | 1 |
| 2000-11 | 1.1 |
| 2000-12 | 0.8 |
| 2001-01 | 0.9 |
| 2001-02 | 0.8 |
| 2001-03 | 0.9 |
| 2001-04 | 1.2 |
| 2001-05 | 1.7 |
| 2001-06 | 1.7 |
| 2001-07 | 1.4 |
| 2001-08 | 1.8 |
| 2001-09 | 1.3 |
| 2001-10 | 1.2 |
| 2001-11 | 0.8 |
| 2001-12 | 1.1 |
| 2002-01 | 1.6 |
| 2002-02 | 1.5 |
| 2002-03 | 1.5 |
| 2002-04 | 1.4 |
| 2002-05 | 0.8 |
| 2002-06 | 0.6 |
| 2002-07 | 1.1 |
| 2002-08 | 1 |
| 2002-09 | 1 |
| 2002-10 | 1.4 |
| 2002-11 | 1.5 |
| 2002-12 | 1.7 |
| 2003-01 | 1.3 |
| 2003-02 | 1.6 |
| 2003-03 | 1.5 |
| 2003-04 | 1.4 |
| 2003-05 | 1.3 |
| 2003-06 | 1.1 |
| 2003-07 | 1.3 |
| 2003-08 | 1.4 |
| 2003-09 | 1.4 |
| 2003-10 | 1.4 |
| 2003-11 | 1.3 |
| 2003-12 | 1.3 |
| 2004-01 | 1.4 |
| 2004-02 | 1.3 |
| 2004-03 | 1.1 |
| 2004-04 | 1.1 |
| 2004-05 | 1.5 |
| 2004-06 | 1.6 |
| 2004-07 | 1.4 |
| 2004-08 | 1.3 |
| 2004-09 | 1.1 |
| 2004-10 | 1.2 |
| 2004-11 | 1.5 |
| 2004-12 | 1.7 |
| 2005-01 | 1.6 |
| 2005-02 | 1.7 |
| 2005-03 | 1.9 |
| 2005-04 | 1.9 |
| 2005-05 | 1.9 |
| 2005-06 | 2 |
| 2005-07 | 2.3 |
| 2005-08 | 2.4 |
| 2005-09 | 2.5 |
| 2005-10 | 2.3 |
| 2005-11 | 2.1 |
| 2005-12 | 1.9 |
| 2006-01 | 1.9 |
| 2006-02 | 2 |
| 2006-03 | 1.8 |
| 2006-04 | 2 |
| 2006-05 | 2.2 |
| 2006-06 | 2.5 |
| 2006-07 | 2.4 |
| 2006-08 | 2.5 |
| 2006-09 | 2.4 |
| 2006-10 | 2.4 |
| 2006-11 | 2.7 |
| 2006-12 | 3 |
| 2007-01 | 2.7 |
| 2007-02 | 2.8 |
| 2007-03 | 3.1 |
| 2007-04 | 2.8 |
| 2007-05 | 2.5 |
| 2007-06 | 2.4 |
| 2007-07 | 1.9 |
| 2007-08 | 1.8 |
| 2007-09 | 1.8 |
| 2007-10 | 2.1 |
| 2007-11 | 2.1 |
| 2007-12 | 2.1 |
| 2008-01 | 2.2 |
| 2008-02 | 2.5 |
| 2008-03 | 2.5 |
| 2008-04 | 3 |
| 2008-05 | 3.3 |
| 2008-06 | 3.8 |
| 2008-07 | 4.4 |
| 2008-08 | 4.7 |
| 2008-09 | 5.2 |
| 2008-10 | 4.5 |
| 2008-11 | 4.1 |
| 2008-12 | 3.1 |
| 2009-01 | 3 |
| 2009-02 | 3.2 |
| 2009-03 | 2.9 |
| 2009-04 | 2.3 |
| 2009-05 | 2.2 |
| 2009-06 | 1.8 |
| 2009-07 | 1.8 |
| 2009-08 | 1.6 |
| 2009-09 | 1.1 |
| 2009-10 | 1.5 |
| 2009-11 | 1.9 |
| 2009-12 | 2.9 |
| 2010-01 | 3.5 |
| 2010-02 | 3 |
| 2010-03 | 3.4 |
| 2010-04 | 3.7 |
| 2010-05 | 3.4 |
| 2010-06 | 3.2 |
| 2010-07 | 3.1 |
| 2010-08 | 3.1 |
| 2010-09 | 3.1 |
| 2010-10 | 3.2 |
| 2010-11 | 3.3 |
| 2010-12 | 3.7 |
| 2011-01 | 4 |
| 2011-02 | 4.4 |
| 2011-03 | 4 |
| 2011-04 | 4.5 |
| 2011-05 | 4.5 |
| 2011-06 | 4.2 |
| 2011-07 | 4.4 |
| 2011-08 | 4.5 |
| 2011-09 | 5.2 |
| 2011-10 | 5 |
| 2011-11 | 4.8 |
| 2011-12 | 4.2 |
| 2012-01 | 3.6 |
| 2012-02 | 3.4 |
| 2012-03 | 3.5 |
| 2012-04 | 3 |
| 2012-05 | 2.8 |
| 2012-06 | 2.4 |
| 2012-07 | 2.6 |
| 2012-08 | 2.5 |
| 2012-09 | 2.2 |
| 2012-10 | 2.7 |
| 2012-11 | 2.7 |
| 2012-12 | 2.7 |
| 2013-01 | 2.7 |
| 2013-02 | 2.8 |
| 2013-03 | 2.8 |
| 2013-04 | 2.4 |
| 2013-05 | 2.7 |
| 2013-06 | 2.9 |
| 2013-07 | 2.8 |
| 2013-08 | 2.7 |
| 2013-09 | 2.7 |
| 2013-10 | 2.2 |
| 2013-11 | 2.1 |
| 2013-12 | 2 |
| 2014-01 | 1.9 |
| 2014-02 | 1.7 |
| 2014-03 | 1.6 |
| 2014-04 | 1.8 |
| 2014-05 | 1.5 |
| 2014-06 | 1.9 |
| 2014-07 | 1.6 |
| 2014-08 | 1.5 |
| 2014-09 | 1.2 |
| 2014-10 | 1.3 |
| 2014-11 | 1 |
| 2014-12 | 0.5 |
| 2015-01 | 0.3 |
| 2015-02 | 0 |
| 2015-03 | 0 |
| 2015-04 | -0.1 |
| 2015-05 | 0.1 |
| 2015-06 | 0 |
| 2015-07 | 0.1 |
| 2015-08 | 0 |
| 2015-09 | -0.1 |
| 2015-10 | -0.1 |
| 2015-11 | 0.1 |
| 2015-12 | 0.2 |
| 2016-01 | 0.3 |
| 2016-02 | 0.3 |
| 2016-03 | 0.5 |
| 2016-04 | 0.3 |
| 2016-05 | 0.3 |
| 2016-06 | 0.5 |
| 2016-07 | 0.6 |
| 2016-08 | 0.6 |
| 2016-09 | 1 |
| 2016-10 | 0.9 |
| 2016-11 | 1.2 |
| 2016-12 | 1.6 |
| 2017-01 | 1.8 |
| 2017-02 | 2.3 |
| 2017-03 | 2.3 |
| 2017-04 | 2.7 |
| 2017-05 | 2.9 |
| 2017-06 | 2.6 |
| 2017-07 | 2.6 |
| 2017-08 | 2.9 |
| 2017-09 | 3 |
| 2017-10 | 3 |
| 2017-11 | 3.1 |
| 2017-12 | 3 |
| 2018-01 | 3 |
| 2018-02 | 2.7 |
| 2018-03 | 2.5 |
| 2018-04 | 2.4 |
| 2018-05 | 2.4 |
| 2018-06 | 2.4 |
| 2018-07 | 2.5 |
| 2018-08 | 2.7 |
| 2018-09 | 2.4 |
| 2018-10 | 2.4 |
| 2018-11 | 2.3 |
| 2018-12 | 2.1 |
| 2019-01 | 1.8 |
| 2019-02 | 1.9 |
| 2019-03 | 1.9 |
| 2019-04 | 2.1 |
| 2019-05 | 2 |
| 2019-06 | 2 |
| 2019-07 | 2.1 |
| 2019-08 | 1.7 |
| 2019-09 | 1.7 |
| 2019-10 | 1.5 |
| 2019-11 | 1.5 |
| 2019-12 | 1.3 |
| 2020-01 | 1.8 |
| 2020-02 | 1.7 |
| 2020-03 | 1.5 |
| 2020-04 | 0.8 |
| 2020-05 | 0.5 |
| 2020-06 | 0.6 |
| 2020-07 | 1 |
| 2020-08 | 0.2 |
| 2020-09 | 0.5 |
| 2020-10 | 0.7 |
| 2020-11 | 0.3 |
| 2020-12 | 0.6 |
| 2021-01 | 0.7 |
| 2021-02 | 0.4 |
| 2021-03 | 0.7 |
| 2021-04 | 1.5 |
| 2021-05 | 2.1 |
| 2021-06 | 2.5 |
| 2021-07 | 2 |
| 2021-08 | 3.2 |
| 2021-09 | 3.1 |
| 2021-10 | 4.2 |
| 2021-11 | 5.1 |
| 2021-12 | 5.4 |
| 2022-01 | 5.5 |
| 2022-02 | 6.2 |
| 2022-03 | 7 |
| 2022-04 | 9 |
| 2022-05 | 9.1 |
| 2022-06 | 9.4 |
| 2022-07 | 10.1 |
| 2022-08 | 9.9 |
| 2022-09 | 10.1 |
| 2022-10 | 11.1 |
| 2022-11 | 10.7 |
| 2022-12 | 10.5 |
| 2023-01 | 10.1 |
| 2023-02 | 10.4 |
| 2023-03 | 10.1 |
| 2023-04 | 8.7 |
| 2023-05 | 8.7 |
| 2023-06 | 7.9 |
| 2023-07 | 6.8 |
| 2023-08 | 6.7 |
| 2023-09 | 6.7 |
| 2023-10 | 4.6 |
| 2023-11 | 3.9 |
| 2023-12 | 4 |
| 2024-01 | 4 |
| 2024-02 | 3.4 |
| 2024-03 | 3.2 |
| 2024-04 | 2.3 |
| 2024-05 | 2 |
| 2024-06 | 2 |
| 2024-07 | 2.2 |
| 2024-08 | 2.2 |
| 2024-09 | 1.7 |
| 2024-10 | 2.3 |
| 2024-11 | 2.6 |
| 2024-12 | 2.5 |
| 2025-01 | 3 |
| 2025-02 | 2.8 |
| 2025-03 | 2.6 |
| 2025-04 | 3.5 |
| 2025-05 | 3.4 |
| 2025-06 | 3.6 |
| 2025-07 | 3.8 |
| 2025-08 | 3.8 |
| 2025-09 | 3.8 |
| 2025-10 | 3.6 |
| 2025-11 | 3.2 |
| 2025-12 | 3.4 |
| 2026-01 | 3 |
| 2026-02 | 3 |
| 2026-03 | 3.3 |
| 2026-04 | 2.8 |
| 2026-05 | 2.8 |
| 2026-06 | 2.6 |
| 2026-07 | 2.9 |
United Kingdom · Source: Office for National Statistics, CPI ANNUAL RATE 00: ALL ITEMS 2015=100 (series D7G7) · series D7G7 · as of July 2026 (series retrieved 2026-08-19)
Related
- Economy & cost of living — wages against prices, GDP and productivity.
- Jobs & pay — whether pay is keeping up with inflation.
- The economy in one image — a shareable summary.
- Historical charts — the long-run series across every topic.