Find out what any amount was worth in any year — 1950 to 2025
£
Inflation Result
Original amount—
Total inflation over period—
Equivalent value in target year—
📊 Based on UK CPI (Consumer Price Index) data. Useful for comparing wages, house prices, pensions and the real value of savings across different decades.
UK Inflation History
UK inflation has varied dramatically over the decades. The 1970s saw peak inflation of over 24% (1975). The Bank of England was given independence in 1997 with a 2% inflation target, which kept inflation relatively stable until the 2022 energy crisis pushed it to 9.1%.
What is CPI?
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) measures the average change in prices of a basket of goods and services bought by UK households. It is the primary measure used by the Bank of England and the government to measure inflation.
How Inflation Erodes Purchasing Power
At 2% annual inflation (the Bank of England's target), money loses roughly half its purchasing power over 35 years. At 5% annual inflation, purchasing power halves in just 14 years. This is why investing and earning interest on savings matters.
UK Inflation Rate 2026
UK CPI inflation in 2026 is running at approximately 2.8%, having fallen significantly from the 2022 peak of 11.1%. The Bank of England base rate remains at elevated levels as the Monetary Policy Committee works to sustainably return inflation to the 2% target.
Frequently Asked Questions
UK CPI inflation has moved between roughly 2.6% and 3.3% at various points through 2026 — check the ONS's latest Consumer Price Inflation bulletin for the most up-to-date figure, since it's published monthly and changes.
CPI (Consumer Prices Index) is the UK's main official inflation measure, used for most government purposes. RPI (Retail Prices Index) uses an older methodology and tends to run higher — it's no longer used as a national statistic but still appears in some older contracts and index-linked gilts.
If your savings interest rate is lower than inflation, the real (inflation-adjusted) value of your money falls even though the number in your account goes up. Use this calculator alongside our Savings Calculator to see the real growth of your money over time.
This calculator applies the historical annual CPI change for each year between your chosen start and end year to compound the effect, showing what a given amount of money in one year would be worth in another year's prices.