The UK’s annual inflation rate remained unchanged at 3.8% last month, as rising costs for petrol, air travel, and chocolate were balanced by easing prices in live entertainment, rail tickets, and cleaning equipment.
Air fares presented the most significant upward pressure, with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reporting a 5.5% average increase in September compared to a year earlier. This marked a sharp reversal from August, when fares had decreased by 3.5% year-on-year.
Although petrol prices were 2.1% lower than a year ago, this represented a smaller annual drop than August’s 5.7% decline, reflecting a rise in the cost of filling up at the pumps.
Diesel prices showed a similar trend, with no change year on year in September, compared with a drop of 3.8% in August.
Chocolate, margarine, soft drinks, ready meals and fruit all saw a higher rate of annual inflation last month than in August.
The rate was particularly high for chocolate, with prices up by an average of 18.1% compared with a year ago – an even bigger jump than the 15.4% increase recorded the previous month.
Inflation also accelerated in September for men’s and women’s clothing, along with the cost of staying in hotels.
Helping to offset all of these upwards pressures was a sharp slowdown in the rate of inflation for attending live events.
The average price of tickets for the theatre, a concert or the cinema was up just 0.1% year on year in September, compared with 7.0% in August.
Inflation eased for many everyday groceries, including crisps, ice cream, mineral water, fruit juice, potatoes, cheese, eggs and bread.
A handful of items recorded a swing from positive inflation in August to negative inflation in September, including children’s shoes, fridges, fish and jam.
Annual food price inflation stood at 4.3% last month, down from 4.8% in August.
Below are some examples of how the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation rate has eased or accelerated.
Two figures are listed for each item: the average rise in price in the 12 months to August, followed by the average rise in price in the 12 months to September.
Examples where annual inflation has accelerated (ranked by the size of change):
- Passenger air travel: August down 3.5%, September up 5.5%
- Chocolate: Aug up 15.4%, Sep up 18.1%
- Margarine & other vegetable fats: Aug up 2.6%, Sep up 3.7%
- Men’s clothes: Aug up 0.4%, Sep up 1.4%
- Soft drinks: Aug up 5.2%, Sep up 6.0%
- Hotels & similar accommodation: Aug up 2.0%, Sep up 2.7%
- Ready-made meals: Aug up 6.1%, Sep up 6.7%
- Women’s clothes: Aug up 1.9%, Sep up 2.5%
- Fruit: Aug up 3.8%, Sep up 4.1%
- Confectionery: Aug up 6.0%, Sep up 6.2%
Examples where annual inflation has eased:
- Cinemas, theatres & concerts: August up 7.0%, September up 0.1%
- Cleaning equipment: Aug down 2.9%, Sep down 7.5%
- Crisps: Aug up 6.2%, Sep up 1.8%
- Mineral or spring waters: Aug up 7.3%, Sep up 3.4%
- Fruit & vegetable juices: Aug up 9.6%, Sep up 5.8%
- Refrigerators, freezers and fridge-freezers: Aug up 2.6%, Sep down 1.0%
- Fish: Aug up 0.5%, Sep down 1.6%
- Yoghurt: Aug up 2.8%, Sep up 0.9%
- Potatoes: Aug up 1.6%, Sep up 0.2%
- Jams, marmalades & honey: Aug up 0.3%, Sep down 0.9%
- Cheese & curd: Aug up 5.1%, Sep up 4.1%
- Eggs: Aug up 4.8%, Sep up 4.0%
- Bread: Aug up 2.2%, Sep up 1.5%
