United Kingdom Inflation Rate

Last Release

Apr 30, 2025

Actual

3.5

Units In

2.6

Frequency

Monthly

Next Release

Jun 18, 2025

Time to Release

25 Days 20 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 jumped to 3.5% in April 2025, the highest since January 2024, from 2.6% in March and above forecasts of 3.3%. The largest upward contribution came from prices for housing and utilities (7.8% vs 1.8%), mostly electricity (4.6% vs -8.8%) and gas (12.2% vs -12%), reflecting the rise in the Ofgem energy price cap introduced in April 2025. A modest downward contribution came from actual rents for housing, which rose by 6.3%, a slower pace compared to 7.2% in March. Additional upward contributions came from transport (3.3% vs 1.2%), influenced by the introduction of Vehicle Excise Duty on both old and new electric vehicles starting in April; recreation and culture (3.1% vs 2.4%), mostly foreign holidays; and food and beverages (3.4% vs 3%), mainly meat, mineral water, bread and cereals, and sugar and jam. On the other hand, the largest downward effect came from falling prices for clothing and footwear (-0.4% vs 1.1%), as more items were on sale.