United Kingdom Inflation Rate

Last Release

Dec 31, 2025

Actual

3.4

Units In

3.2

Frequency

Monthly

Next Release

Feb 18, 2026

Time to Release

26 Days 6 Hours

Highest	Lowest	Average	Date Range	Source
11.1 Oct 2022	-0.1 Apr 2015	2.84 %	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

UK consumer price inflation rose to 3.4% in December 2025, up from November’s eight-month low of 3.2% and slightly above market expectations of 3.3%. This year-end acceleration, the first since July, could complicate the Bank of England’s efforts to guide inflation back toward its 2% target, though the rise is expected to be temporary thanks to government interventions. The increase was largely driven by higher prices for alcohol and tobacco, which jumped to 5.2% from 4.0% in November due to the timing of tobacco duty changes, and transport costs, which rose to 4.0% from 3.7% on the back of higher airfares. Additional upward pressure came from food and non-alcoholic beverages (4.5% vs. 4.2%). Services inflation, a key gauge of domestic price pressures for the BOE, edged up slightly to 4.5% from 4.4%, below expectations. Core inflation, which excludes volatile items like unprocessed food and energy, remained steady at 3.2%, marking its lowest level since December 2024.