Economic Growth

This is how inflation rates are increasing around the world

Notes of euros are pictured scrunched up on the floor.

Inflation is measured by price increase of a number of household goods including bread, milk, fresh vegetables, rice, cereal and pasta. Image: Unsplash/ Imelda

Katharina Buchholz
Data Journalist, Statista
  • In September 2021, the Harmonised Consumer Price Index rose by 6.2 percent in the United States and by 3.6 percent in the EU.
  • Within Europe, some countries like Germany experienced above-average inflation, while in France and Spain, for example, it remained below the European Union figure.
  • Inflation is worked out by measuring the price increase of a number of household goods including bread, milk, fresh vegetables, rice, cereal and pasta.

Strong economic recovery following the lockdown era of the coronavirus pandemic has caused the price of goods and services to rise since the start of 2021 in many developed nations. Consumers catching up on spending coupled with persistent stock problems have created a climate of scarcity as pandemic effects continue to influence the global supply chain.

In September, the Harmonised Consumer Price Index published monthly by Eurostat rose by 3.6 percent year-on-year in the European Union and by 6.2 percent in the United States. Within Europe, some countries like Germany experienced above-average inflation, while in France and Spain, for example, it remained below the European Union figure.

In July, Fed chairman Jerome Powell argued that the stronger average inflation in the United States was dragged up by only a few items, like the price of used cars and trucks, which has been rising at an astonishingly quick rate. More strong price increases were registered for gasoline, but the product also experienced some of the biggest price fluctuations in the pandemic.

Have you read?
  • IMF: Will inflation remain high? 

Price increases for bread, milk, fresh vegetables, rice, cereal and pasta did in fact remain below the Fed’s goal of 2 percent year-over-year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ own CPI calculations that are a little more positive than Eurostat’s. Meats, eggs, fruit and oils, however, blew past the 2 percent goal in the BLS calculation, at times by a long shot. In addition, lodging away from home, furniture and televisions also experienced price increases above 10 percent year-over-year.

Inflation woes plague developed nations.
Inflation woes plague developed nations. Image: Statista
Loading...
Don't miss any update on this topic

Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.

Sign up for free

License and Republishing

World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

Stay up to date:

Geo-economics

Related topics:
Economic GrowthGeo-Economics and Politics
Share:
The Big Picture
Explore and monitor how Geo-economics is affecting economies, industries and global issues
A hand holding a looking glass by a lake
Crowdsource Innovation
Get involved with our crowdsourced digital platform to deliver impact at scale
World Economic Forum logo
Global Agenda

The Agenda Weekly

A weekly update of the most important issues driving the global agenda

Subscribe today

You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails. For more details, review our privacy policy.

How 'green education' could speed up the net-zero transition

Sonia Ben Jaafar

November 22, 2024

What is the gig economy and what's the deal for gig workers?

About us

Engage with us

  • Sign in
  • Partner with us
  • Become a member
  • Sign up for our press releases
  • Subscribe to our newsletters
  • Contact us

Quick links

Language editions

Privacy Policy & Terms of Service

Sitemap

© 2024 World Economic Forum