International Indexes of Consumer Prices,
18 countries and areas, 1996–2009

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Charts Tables Technical Notes

This annual report presents data on Consumer Price Indexes (CPI) and Harmonized Indexes of Consumer Prices (HICP) for 18 countries or areas and replaces two annual reports formerly known as "Consumer Price Indexes, 16 Countries, 1950-2008" and "Harmonized Indexes of Consumer Prices, 8 Countries or Areas, 1996-2008."

Both the CPI and HICP measure the average change in prices over time paid by consumers for a market basket of customary goods and services. However, the CPI measures are based upon national consumer price indexes as published by each country and have not been adjusted for comparability; in contrast, the HICP measures are an internationally comparable measure of consumer price inflation which covers all households in each country and excludes owner-occupied housing costs. HICP measures conform, insofar as possible, to the conceptual basis of the European Union's Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices. For more information on the CPI and HICP methodology, see the section on Technical Notes.

This report expands coverage of the HICP by 8 additional countries so that data are available for 16 countries and areas for both the CPI and HICP series from 1996 through 2009. The coverage between the two series is slightly different. The CPI includes Australia and Canada, while the HICP includes two areas, the European Union and Euro Area. These areas are defined in the Technical Notes. Additional historical annual data for the CPI as well as monthly data for both series are available on the Internet, at www.bls.gov/ilc/#CPI.

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Charts

Consumer Price Indexes and Harmonized Indexes of Consumer Prices
Annual percentage change, 1997–2009


CPI and HICP annual percentage change Charts, 1997–2009



Tables



Table 1. Consumer Price Indexes (CPI), 16 countries, 1996-2009
Annual Indexes: 1982-84 = 100
United
  States 		 Canada Japan Australia (1) Austria Belgium Denmark France
Year

1996
156.9
153.6
119.2
192.0
143.8
142.9
151.9
151.3

1997
160.5
156.2
121.5
192.5
145.7
145.3
155.2
153.2

1998
163.0
157.8
122.2
194.1
147.0
146.6
158.1
154.3

1999
166.6
160.5
121.8
197.0
147.9
148.3
162.0
155.0

2000
172.2
164.9
120.9
205.8
151.4
152.1
166.8
157.7

2001
177.1
169.0
120.1
214.8
155.4
155.8
170.7
160.3

2002
179.9
172.8
119.0
221.2
158.2
158.4
174.8
163.4

2003
184.0
177.6
118.7
227.4
160.3
160.9
178.5
166.8

2004
188.9
180.9
118.7
232.7
163.6
164.3
180.5
170.3

2005
195.3
184.9
118.3
238.9
167.4
168.8
183.8
173.4

2006
201.6
188.5
118.7
247.4
169.9
171.9
187.3
176.2

2007
207.3
192.7
118.7
253.1
173.6
175.0
190.5
178.9

2008
215.3
197.2
120.3
264.1
179.1
182.9
197.0
183.9

2009
214.5
197.7
118.7
269.0
180.0
182.8
199.6
184.1
Table 1. Continued-Consumer Price Indexes (CPI), 16 countries, 1996-2009
Annual Indexes: 1982-84 = 100
Germany Italy Netherlands Norway Spain Sweden Switzerland United
    Kingdom 
Year

1996
135.3
214.0
128.7
173.8
220.3
193.2
141.8
179.4

1997
137.9
218.3
131.5
178.4
224.7
194.2
142.6
185.1

1998
139.3
222.6
134.1
182.4
228.8
194.0
142.6
191.4

1999
140.0
226.3
137.0
186.6
234.1
194.8
143.8
194.3

2000
142.0
232.1
140.2
192.4
242.1
196.8
145.9
200.1

2001
144.8
238.5
146.1
198.2
250.8
201.6
147.5
203.6

2002
146.9
244.5
150.9
200.8
259.7
205.9
148.4
207.0

2003
148.5
251.0
154.0
205.7
267.7
209.9
149.3
213.0

2004
150.9
256.6
156.0
206.6
275.9
210.7
150.5
219.4

2005
153.2
261.5
158.6
209.9
285.1
211.6
152.2
225.6

2006
155.7
267.1
160.4
214.7
295.1
214.5
153.9
232.8

2007
159.2
272.0
163.0
216.3
303.4
219.3
155.0
242.7

2008
163.3
281.1
167.1
224.5
315.8
226.9
158.8
252.4

2009
163.9
283.3
169.0
229.2
314.9
226.2
158.0
251.1

Note:
(1) Urban worker households prior to September 1998.

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Table 2. Harmonized Indexes of Consumer Prices (HICP), 16 countries and areas, 1996-2009
Annual Indexes: 2005 = 100
United   
  States (1)		 Japan European   
  Union (2)		 Euro   
  Area (3)		 Austria Belgium Denmark France
Year

1996
--
101.8
  84.9
  84.6
  87.2
  85.3
  84.3
  86.6

1997
--
103.4
  86.4
  85.9
  88.2
  86.5
  85.9
  87.8

1998
  84.1
104.1
  87.5
  86.9
  89.0
  87.3
  87.0
  88.3

1999
  85.8
103.7
  88.5
  87.9
  89.4
  88.3
  88.8
  88.8

2000
  88.7
102.8
  90.2
  89.7
  91.2
  90.7
  91.2
  90.5

2001
  90.8
101.8
  92.2
  91.8
  93.3
  92.9
  93.3
  92.1

2002
  91.6
100.7
  94.1
  93.9
  94.8
  94.3
  95.6
  93.9

2003
  93.7
100.4
  96.0
  95.8
  96.1
  95.8
  97.5
  95.9

2004
  96.3
100.4
  97.9
  97.9
  97.9
  97.5
  98.3
  98.1

2005
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0

2006
103.2
100.3
102.2
102.2
101.7
102.3
101.8
101.9

2007
105.9
100.4
104.6
104.4
103.9
104.2
103.5
103.6

2008
110.6
102.0
108.4
107.8
107.3
108.9
107.3
106.8

2009
109.7
100.5
109.5
108.1
107.7
108.9
108.4
106.9
Table 2. Continued-Harmonized Indexes of Consumer Prices (HICP), 16 countries and areas, 1996-2009
Annual Indexes: 2005 = 100
Germany Italy Netherlands Norway Spain Sweden Switzerland United
Kingdom
Year

1996
  88.6
  81.8
  80.4
  84.3
  77.9
  87.5
--
  88.1

1997
  90.0
  83.3
  81.9
  86.5
  79.4
  89.1
--
  89.7

1998
  90.5
  85.0
  83.4
  88.2
  80.8
  90.0
--
  91.1

1999
  91.1
  86.4
  85.1
  90.0
  82.6
  90.5
--
  92.3

2000
  92.4
  88.6
  87.1
  92.8
  85.5
  91.7
--
  93.1

2001
  94.1
  90.7
  91.5
  95.3
  87.9
  94.1
--
  94.2

2002
  95.4
  93.1
  95.1
  96.1
  91.0
  95.9
--
  95.4

2003
  96.4
  95.7
  97.2
  97.9
  93.9
  98.2
--
  96.7

2004
  98.1
  97.8
  98.5
  98.5
  96.7
  99.2
--
  98.0

2005
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0

2006
101.8
102.2
101.7
102.5
103.6
101.5
101.0
102.3

2007
104.1
104.3
103.3
103.2
106.5
103.2
101.8
104.7

2008
107.0
108.0
105.5
106.7
110.9
106.7
104.2
108.5

2009
107.2
108.8
106.6
109.2
110.6
108.7
103.4
110.8

Notes:
(1) Urban households prior to Dec 2001.
(2) Data for the European Union refer to the European Index of Consumer Prices (EICP). For more information, see Technical Notes.
(3) Data for the euro area refer to the Monetary Union Index of Consumer Prices (MUICP). For more information, see Technical Notes.
Dashes indicate data are unavailable.

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Table 3. Consumer Price Indexes (CPI), 16 countries, 1996-2009
Annual Percent Change
United
  States 		 Canada Japan Australia (1) Austria Belgium Denmark France
Year

1996-2009
2.4
2.0
0.0
2.6
1.7
1.9
2.1
1.5


1996-1997

2.3

1.7

1.9

0.3

1.3

1.6

2.2

1.2

1997-1998
1.6
1.0
0.6
0.9
0.9
0.9
1.8
0.7

1998-1999
2.2
1.8
-0.3 
1.5
0.6
1.1
2.5
0.5

1999-2000
3.4
2.7
-0.8 
4.5
2.3
2.5
2.9
1.7

2000-2001
2.8
2.5
-0.7 
4.4
2.7
2.5
2.4
1.7

2001-2002
1.6
2.2
-0.9 
3.0
1.8
1.6
2.4
1.9

2002-2003
2.3
2.8
-0.3 
2.8
1.4
1.6
2.1
2.1

2003-2004
2.7
1.8
0.0
2.3
2.1
2.1
1.2
2.1

2004-2005
3.4
2.2
-0.3 
2.7
2.3
2.8
1.8
1.8

2005-2006
3.2
2.0
0.3
3.5
1.5
1.8
1.9
1.6

2006-2007
2.8
2.2
0.0
2.3
2.2
1.8
1.7
1.5

2007-2008
3.8
2.3
1.4
4.4
3.2
4.5
3.4
2.8

2008-2009
-0.4 
0.3
-1.4 
1.8
0.5
-0.1 
1.3
0.1
Table 3. Continued- Consumer Price Indexes (CPI), 16 countries, 1996-2009
Annual Percent Change
Germany Italy Netherlands Norway Spain Sweden Switzerland United
    Kingdom 
Year

1996-2009
1.5
2.2
2.1
2.2
2.8
1.2
0.8
2.6


1996-1997

1.9

2.0

2.2

2.6

2.0

0.5

0.5

3.1

1997-1998
1.0
2.0
2.0
2.2
1.8
-0.1 
0.0
3.4

1998-1999
0.6
1.7
2.2
2.3
2.3
0.4
0.9
1.5

1999-2000
1.4
2.5
2.3
3.1
3.4
1.0
1.5
3.0

2000-2001
1.9
2.7
4.2
3.0
3.6
2.5
1.0
1.8

2001-2002
1.5
2.5
3.3
1.3
3.5
2.1
0.6
1.7

2002-2003
1.0
2.7
2.1
2.5
3.1
1.9
0.6
2.9

2003-2004
1.7
2.2
1.2
0.4
3.1
0.4
0.8
3.0

2004-2005
1.5
1.9
1.7
1.6
3.3
0.4
1.1
2.8

2005-2006
1.6
2.1
1.2
2.3
3.5
1.4
1.1
3.2

2006-2007
2.3
1.8
1.6
0.8
2.8
2.2
0.7
4.3

2007-2008
2.6
3.3
2.5
3.8
4.1
3.5
2.5
4.0

2008-2009
0.4
0.8
1.2
2.1
-0.3 
-0.3 
-0.5 
-0.5 

Note:
(1) Urban worker households prior to September 1998.

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Table 4. Harmonized Indexes of Consumer Prices (HICP), 16 countries and areas, 1996-2009
Annual Percent Change
United   
  States (1)		 Japan European   
  Union (2)		 Euro   
  Area (3)		 Austria Belgium Denmark France
Year

1996-2009
--
-0.1 
2.0
1.9
1.6
1.9
2.0
1.6


1996-1997

--

1.6

1.7

1.6

1.2

1.5

1.9

1.3

1997-1998
--
0.7
1.3
1.1
0.8
0.9
1.3
0.7

1998-1999
2.0
-0.4 
1.2
1.1
0.5
1.1
2.1
0.6

1999-2000
3.4
-0.9 
1.9
2.1
2.0
2.7
2.7
1.8

2000-2001
2.3
-1.0 
2.2
2.4
2.3
2.4
2.3
1.8

2001-2002
0.9
-1.1 
2.1
2.2
1.7
1.6
2.5
1.9

2002-2003
2.3
-0.3 
2.0
2.1
1.3
1.5
2.0
2.2

2003-2004
2.8
0.0
2.0
2.1
2.0
1.9
0.8
2.3

2004-2005
3.9
-0.4 
2.2
2.2
2.1
2.5
1.7
1.9

2005-2006
3.2
0.3
2.2
2.2
1.7
2.3
1.8
1.9

2006-2007
2.6
0.1
2.3
2.1
2.2
1.8
1.7
1.6

2007-2008
4.4
1.6
3.7
3.3
3.2
4.5
3.7
3.2

2008-2009
-0.9 
-1.5 
1.0
0.3
0.4
0.0
1.0
0.1
Table 4. Continued-Harmonized Indexes of Consumer Prices (HICP), 16 countries and areas, 1996-2009
Annual Percent Change
Germany Italy Netherlands Norway Spain Sweden Switzerland United
Kingdom
Year

1996-2009
1.5
2.2
2.2
2.0
2.7
1.7
--
1.8


1996-1997

1.6

1.8

1.9

2.6

1.9

1.8

--

1.8

1997-1998
0.6
2.0
1.8
2.0
1.8
1.0
--
1.6

1998-1999
0.7
1.6
2.0
2.0
2.2
0.6
--
1.3

1999-2000
1.4
2.5
2.3
3.1
3.5
1.3
--
0.9

2000-2001
1.8
2.4
5.1
2.7
2.8
2.7
--
1.2

2001-2002
1.4
2.6
3.9
0.8
3.6
1.9
--
1.3

2002-2003
1.0
2.8
2.2
1.9
3.1
2.3
--
1.4

2003-2004
1.8
2.2
1.4
0.6
3.1
1.0
--
1.3

2004-2005
1.9
2.2
1.5
1.5
3.4
0.8
--
2.0

2005-2006
1.8
2.2
1.6
2.5
3.6
1.5
1.0
2.3

2006-2007
2.3
2.1
1.6
0.7
2.8
1.7
0.8
2.3

2007-2008
2.8
3.5
2.2
3.4
4.1
3.3
2.4
3.6

2008-2009
0.2
0.7
1.0
2.3
-0.2 
1.9
-0.8 
2.1

Notes:
(1) Urban households prior to Dec 2001.
(2) Data for the European Union refer to the European Index of Consumer Prices (EICP). For more information, see Technical Notes.
(3) Data for the euro area refer to the Monetary Union Index of Consumer Prices (MUICP). For more information, see Technical Notes.
Dashes indicate data are unavailable.

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Technical Notes

CPI (Consumer Price Indexes)
The Consumer Price Indexes or CPI are a measure of the average change over time in the prices paid by urban consumers for a market basket of consumer goods and services. This annual report covers the CPI for the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, and 12 European countries. CPI indexes and annual percent changes are based upon national consumer price indexes as published by each country. They have not been adjusted for comparability. National differences exist, for example, in population coverage, frequency of market basket weight changes, and treatment of homeowner costs.

HICP (Harmonized Indexes of Consumer Prices)
The Harmonized Indexes of Consumer Prices or HICP are an internationally comparable measure of consumer price inflation. This annual report covers the HICP for 14 countries and 2 areas. HICP indexes and percent changes conform, insofar as possible, to the conceptual basis of the European Union's Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices (HICP). The HICP is the standard price index that EU member states must produce for comparisons across countries. It is used by the European Central Bank for the conduct of monetary policy in the euro area. The index represents urban and rural households in each country and excludes the component for owner-occupied housing costs. For more information, see "International comparisons of Harmonized Indexes of Consumer Prices," on the Internet, at http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2007/02/ressum.pdf.

Methodology
In table 1, CPI indexes are calculated by rebasing the official indexes of each country to the official U.S. base year of 1982–84. Because of the change in base year, the indexes may differ from the official indexes published by national statistical agencies.

In tables 3 and 4, percent changes are computed using the compound rate method. The figures may differ from official percent changes published by national statistical agencies because of rounding. In several countries, the national statistical agencies calculate the official percent changes from more precise index values than those that they publish.

United States
The data for the United States are an "experimental" Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) series adjusted to the concepts of the EU HICP in that they are expanded to cover the entire (non-institutional) population and narrowed to remove owner-occupied housing costs that the HICP excludes from its scope. These U.S. data are produced outside of regular BLS production systems and, consequently, with less than full production quality. For more information, see "Comparing U.S. and European inflation: the CPI and the HICP," on the Internet, at http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2006/05/art3full.pdf.

European Union
Data for the European Union refer to the European Index of Consumer Prices (EICP), the official series published by Eurostat for the European Union (EU). The EICP is the household expenditure- weighted aggregate of the Harmonized Indexes of Consumer Prices (HICPs) of the EU member countries. The composition of the EU has changed over the years. As EU membership expands, data for new member countries are linked to this moving coverage series. Thus, the EU index changes its geographical coverage according to the composition of the EU during the period to which the data refer. The EU index for 2009 is comprised of the following 27 countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. For analytical purposes, Eurostat also makes available historical series covering all the current EU countries.

Euro Area
Data for the euro area refer to the Monetary Union Index of Consumer Prices (MUICP), the official series published by Eurostat for the EU member countries that have adopted the euro as the common currency. The MUICP is the household expenditure-weighted aggregate of the HICPs of the euro area. The composition of the euro area has changed over the years. As the euro area expands, data for new member countries are linked to this moving coverage series. Thus, the euro area index changes its geographical coverage according to the composition of the euro area during the period to which the data refer. The MUICP index for 2009 is comprised of the following 16 countries: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain. For analytical purposes, Eurostat also makes available historical series covering all the current euro area countries. For more information see the Eurostat Web site, at http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/eurostat/home.


 

Last Modified Date: August 23, 2010