United Kingdom · data to Sep 2026
How's inflation?
OK.
Prices are rising 3.5% a year, a little more than a point away from the Bank of England's 2% target.
For context: 3.5% is higher than 78% of all 453 figures since 1989.
Prices, year on year
Annual change in consumer prices (CPI), with the range within a point of the Bank of England's 2% target
The strip under the chart shows the verdict each period would get by today's rules:Good OK Bad
See the latest numbers
| Period | Value | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 2026 | 3.5% | OK |
| Aug 2026 | 3.1% | OK |
| Jul 2026 | 2.9% | Good |
| Jun 2026 | 2.6% | Good |
| May 2026 | 2.8% | Good |
| Apr 2026 | 2.8% | Good |
| Mar 2026 | 3.3% | OK |
| Feb 2026 | 3.0% | OK |
| Jan 2026 | 3.0% | OK |
| Dec 2025 | 3.4% | OK |
| Nov 2025 | 3.2% | OK |
| Oct 2025 | 3.6% | OK |
Source: ONS, Consumer Prices Index (CPI), all items, annual rate · Series D7G7 (MM23) · Latest Sep 2026
How we judged this
What we test: The latest figure (prices, year on year). Right now that's 3.5%.
- Good if from 1.0% to under 3.0%
- OK if from 0.5% to under 1.0%
- OK if from 3.0% to under 4.0%applies now
- Bad if anything the rules above don’t cover
Rules are checked from the top. The first one that fits decides the verdict.
About this data
- Measure
- Prices, year on year
- Latest
- 3.5% (Sep 2026)
- Published
- Monthly, by ONS
- Verdict counts for
- Equal weight with the others in the overall verdict
Inflation is how fast prices are rising. A little is normal and healthy. A lot means your pay and savings buy less each year.
The Bank of England targets 2% on this measure. If inflation moves more than a point either side, the Governor has to write to the Chancellor to explain, so we count that range as Good.
Very low inflation counts against the economy too: it usually comes with weak demand.