United Kingdom Inflation Rate

Last Release

May 31, 2025

Actual

3.4

Units In

3.5

Frequency

Monthly

Next Release

Jul 16, 2025

Time to Release

25 Days 16 Hours

Highest	Lowest	Average	Date Range	Source
11.1 Oct 2022	-0.1 Apr 2015	2.82 %	1989-2025	Office for National Statistics

In the United Kingdom, the most important categories in the consumer price index are Transport (16 percent of the total weight) and Recreation and Culture (15 percent). Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas and Other Fuels accounts for 13 percent; Restaurants and Hotels for 12 percent and Food and Non-alcoholic Beverages for 10 percent. The index also includes: Miscellaneous Goods and Services (9 percent); Clothing and Footwear (7 percent); Furniture, Household Equipment and Maintenance (6 percent). Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco; Health, Communication and Education account for remaining 11 percent of total weight.

Latest Updates

The annual inflation rate in the UK edged down to 3.4% in May 2025 from 3.5% in April, matching expectations. The largest downward contribution came from transport prices (0.7% vs 3.3%), reflecting falls in air fares (-5%) largely due to the timing of Easter and the associated school holidays, as well as falling motor fuel prices. Additionally, the correction of an error in the Vehicle Excise Duty series contributed to the drop; the error affected April’s data, but the series has been corrected from May. Further downward pressure came from cost for housing and household services (6.9% vs 7%), mostly owner occupiers' housing costs (6.7% vs 6.9%). Services inflation also slowed to 4.7% from 5.4%. On the other hand, the largest, upward contributions came from food and non-alcoholic beverages (4.4% vs 3.4%), namely chocolate, confectionery and ice cream, and furniture and household goods (0.8%, the most since December 2023). Compared to the previous month, the CPI rose 0.2%.