Inflation: HICP and CPI

How rising prices are measured, and why two inflation figures for the same country can differ.

Inflation is the rate at which the average price of a basket of consumer goods and services rises. It is usually given as the change on a year earlier.

Countries publish a national consumer price index (CPI). EU countries also publish the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP), built on common rules so countries can be compared. Coverage differences, such as owner-occupied housing, mean the two can differ.

Annual average inflation compares a whole year with the previous year. Monthly figures compare one month with the same month a year earlier and react faster to change.

Measures on this site

• Inflation rate (HICP, annual average) (Eurostat)
• Monthly inflation rate (HICP, annual rate of change) (Eurostat)
• Consumer price inflation (World Bank) (World Bank)
• Food price inflation (HICP) (Eurostat)
• Energy price inflation (HICP) (Eurostat)