Historic inflation calculator: How the value of money has changed since 1900

By RICHARD BROWNING FOR THISISMONEY.CO.UK

Inflation has dominated the headlines over the past year as a spike has taken it into double-digits.

But while that's been painful, over the longer-term inflation can be even more harmful to your wealth - as its power to eat into your spending power compounds over time. 

This historic inflation calculator uses official UK inflation data to show how prices have changed and what money used to be worth.

Prices and Inflation Calculator

A spike into double digits made inflation headline news throughout 2023. Our calculator lets you see what this has done to prices and how they have changed over the years.

During decades of comparatively low inflation it was easy to forget the problem it causes for politicians, economists and, in particular, consumers. That problem is now firmly back on the agenda.

This calculator lets you see how the value of money has changed between 1900 and 2023. It uses annual RPI inflation ¿ the figure with the longest running data and one still used for historical comparisons. The most recent data runs to the end of 2023.

PRICE THEN, PRICE NOW
  • £
LUMP SUM
What would a lump sum today have been worth in previous years?
  • £
TOTAL INFLATION SINCE...
What has the total rate of inflation been since a particular year?
INFLATION IN A CERTAIN YEAR
What was the rate of inflation in any previous year?
TOTAL INFLATION BETWEEN...
What was the rate if inflation between on year and another?
Are there any savings accounts that beat inflation?

All the top deals are in our independent best-buy tables

Note: This calculator uses annual RPI (Retail Prices Index) data and reflects the percentage change over that 12 month period. Figures for 1900-1948 are the official rough estimates from the Office For National Statistics (ONS).

We update the calculator in mid-February when the ONS publishes its annual inflation figure for the previous year.

Check out our full range of financial calculators - from credit cards to mortgages, savings and inflation - work out how to save and make money


 

Some links in this article may be affiliate links. If you click on them we may earn a small commission. That helps us fund This Is Money, and keep it free to use. We do not write articles to promote products. We do not allow any commercial relationship to affect our editorial independence.

Most watched Money videos

Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.