South Korea Food Inflation
Year-on-year change in consumer prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages.
Food Inflation in South Korea increased to 0.99 percent in Sep 2026 from -0.54 percent in Aug 2026.
South Korea Food Inflation — History
Drag or pinch to zoom.
South Korea Food Inflation — analysis in simple words
Latest reading
Food Inflation in South Korea increased to 0.99 percent in Sep 2026 from -0.54 percent in Aug 2026.
Over the last three months it rose once and fell twice.
Recent trend
A year earlier (Sep 2025) it was 3.3%, so the latest figure is 2.3 percentage points lower.
Over the past five years the average was 4.1%, with a range from -0.5% to 7.9%. The latest value is below that five-year average.
Historical context
This data series starts in Jan 1985 and has 501 monthly observations. The latest reading is higher than 15% of all of them.
The highest value on record is 15.6% (Mar 1988) and the lowest is -4.5% (Feb 1987). The long-run average is 4.6%.
Compared with other countries
Among 42 economies with recent data, South Korea ranks 37th from the top. The median across all these economies is 3.3%, so South Korea is below the typical country.
Among 15 major economies tracked on this site it ranks 12th.
Within East Asia & Pacific (3 economies with data) it ranks 2nd; the regional median is 1.0%.
Statistics
- Latest
- 1.0%Sep 2026
- Previous
- -0.5%
- 5-year average
- 4.1%
- Long-run average
- 4.6%since Jan 1985
- All-time high
- 15.6%Mar 1988
- All-time low
- -4.5%Feb 1987
- Observations
- 501Monthly
Recent Data
| Period | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 2026 | 1.0% | ▲ +1.5 pp |
| Aug 2026 | -0.5% | ▼ −1.5 pp |
| Jul 2026 | 0.9% | ▼ −1.1 pp |
| Jun 2026 | 2.0% | ▲ +0.4 pp |
| May 2026 | 1.6% | ▲ +1.3 pp |
| Apr 2026 | 0.3% | ▼ −0.2 pp |
| Mar 2026 | 0.5% | ▼ −1.6 pp |
| Feb 2026 | 2.1% | ▼ −0.8 pp |
| Jan 2026 | 2.9% | ▼ −0.7 pp |
| Dec 2025 | 3.6% | ▼ −1.2 pp |
| Nov 2025 | 4.7% | ▲ +1.3 pp |
| Oct 2025 | 3.5% | ▲ +0.2 pp |
| Sep 2025 | 3.3% | ▼ −1.6 pp |
| Aug 2025 | 4.9% | ▲ +1.4 pp |
| Jul 2025 | 3.5% | ▲ +0.1 pp |
| Jun 2025 | 3.4% | ▲ +1.0 pp |
| May 2025 | 2.4% | ▼ −0.7 pp |
| Apr 2025 | 3.0% | ▲ +0.6 pp |
| Mar 2025 | 2.4% | ▲ +0.4 pp |
| Feb 2025 | 2.0% | ▼ −0.4 pp |
| Jan 2025 | 2.4% | ▼ −0.1 pp |
| Dec 2024 | 2.5% | ▲ +1.3 pp |
| Nov 2024 | 1.3% | ▼ −0.1 pp |
| Oct 2024 | 1.4% | ▼ −0.5 pp |
| Sep 2024 | 1.8% | ▼ −0.2 pp |
| Aug 2024 | 2.0% | ▼ −1.6 pp |
| Jul 2024 | 3.6% | ▼ −0.2 pp |
| Jun 2024 | 3.8% | ▼ −1.3 pp |
| May 2024 | 5.1% | ▼ −0.8 pp |
| Apr 2024 | 5.9% |
Food Inflation — South Korea vs Peers
Latest available reading for each economy (periods may differ). South Korea highlighted.
More South Korea indicators
Understanding Food Inflation — a simple guide
What it measures
The year-on-year change in the price of food and non-alcoholic beverages in the consumer price index.
How it is calculated
Year-on-year % change in the food and non-alcoholic beverages part of the CPI basket.
If vegetables, cereals and milk together cost 8% more than a year ago, food inflation is 8%.
High food inflation hurts household budgets and often lifts headline inflation.
Low or negative food inflation eases household costs but can mean lower farm incomes.
Why it matters for the economy and markets
Food is a large share of household spending, especially in emerging economies like India, so food prices strongly affect headline inflation and household budgets.
How to read it
Food inflation is volatile because of monsoon, harvests, supply problems and global commodity prices. Look at several months together rather than a single reading.
What to look at alongside it
Rainfall/monsoon, crop output, headline inflation and global food prices.
Key terms
- COICOP 01
- The international code for “food and non-alcoholic beverages” in CPI.
Data source
OECD — Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (series OECD CPI food), monthly data from Jan 1985 to Sep 2026. Values are shown exactly as published by the source and may be revised later.
How to use the chart
Use the 5Y / 10Y / 25Y / Max buttons to change the time range, or drag the slider under the chart. Hover (or tap) on the line to see the exact value for any period. Dashed lines and hatched bars are IMF projections, not actual data. The “Download CSV” button gives you the full data series.
Frequently asked questions
What is the current food inflation of South Korea?
What is the highest and lowest food inflation of South Korea?
What does food inflation measure?
Data are sourced from official international organisations (IMF, World Bank, BIS) and national authorities, and are shown for educational and informational purposes only. They are not investment advice and no recommendation is made. Figures may be revised by the source; IMF figures for the current and future years are projections. This page was last updated on Saturday, October 17, 2026.