Consumer Price Index & Inflation
Track how South Africa's inflation rate and Consumer Price Index (CPI) have changed since 2000. CPI measures the average change in prices over time for goods and services.
Source: Statistics South Africa (Stats SA). Data represents annual inflation rates.
Next CPI release (October 2025 data): Wednesday, 19 November 2025, at 10:00 SAST. Forecast: 3.4% (same as September 2025).
Purchasing Power
Due to inflation, R100 in the year 2000 has the same purchasing power as approximately R361.62 today.
Conversely, R100 today would only buy what R27.65 could buy in 2000. This demonstrates how inflation erodes the value of money over time.
Inflation Rate & CPI Over Time
Interactive chart showing annual inflation rates and CPI index from 2000 to 2024. The yellow line represents inflation rate, the purple dashed line shows CPI index. The green shaded area indicates the SARB target range of 3% to 6%.
Monthly Inflation (Jan 2024 – Sep 2025)
Monthly inflation rate data from January 2024 to September 2025, showing recent inflation trends. The green shaded area indicates the SARB target range of 3% to 6%.
What is CPI?
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) measures the average change over time in the prices paid by consumers for a basket of goods and services. It's the most widely used measure of inflation in South Africa, compiled by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA).
How CPI relates to Interest Rates
Inflation trends are a key input into SARB policy decisions. When inflation moves persistently above target, interest rates often rise. Explore the historical prime & repo rates to see how policy has responded over time.
SARB Inflation Target
The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) aims to keep inflation between 3% and 6% per year. When inflation rises above this range, the SARB typically increases interest rates to slow down price increases.
Impact on Your Finances
Inflation affects everything from groceries to petrol prices. To maintain your purchasing power, your investments should ideally grow faster than inflation. Use our TFSA Calculator to see how tax-free savings can help you beat inflation.
Historical Highlights
- 2008: Inflation peaked at 11.5% during the global financial crisis
- 2020: Dropped to 3.3% during COVID-19 pandemic
- 2022-2023: Rose to 6-7% due to global supply chain issues
Historical Inflation Data
| Year | Inflation Rate | CPI Index | R100 Equivalent Today |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.4% | 129.1 | R100.00 | |
| 6% | 123.7 | R104.37 | |
| 6.9% | 116.7 | R110.63 | |
| 4.5% | 109.2 | R118.22 | |
| 3.3% | 104.5 | R123.54 | |
| 4.1% | 101.2 | R127.57 | |
| 4.6% | 97.2 | R132.82 | |
| 5.3% | 92.9 | R138.97 | |
| 6.3% | 88.2 | R146.37 | |
| 4.6% | 83 | R155.54 | |
| 6.1% | 79.3 | R162.80 | |
| 5.7% | 74.8 | R172.59 | |
| 5.6% | 70.8 | R182.34 | |
| 5% | 67 | R192.69 | |
| 4.3% | 63.8 | R202.35 | |
| 7.1% | 61.2 | R210.95 | |
| 11.5% | 57.1 | R226.09 | |
| 7.1% | 51.2 | R252.15 | |
| 4.7% | 47.8 | R270.08 | |
| 3.4% | 45.7 | R282.49 | |
| 1.4% | 44.2 | R292.08 | |
| 5.8% | 43.6 | R296.10 | |
| 9.2% | 41.2 | R313.35 | |
| 5.7% | 37.7 | R342.44 | |
| 5.4% | 35.7 | R361.62 |
*R100 Equivalent shows what R100 from that year would be worth in today's money
Protect Your Wealth from Inflation
Use our calculators to understand how inflation affects your savings and investments, and plan strategies to maintain your purchasing power.