Food Inflation by Country
Year-on-year change in consumer prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages. Latest values for 48 economies.
Among 46 countries, Argentina has the highest food inflation at 35.1% and China the lowest at -1.7% (latest available readings).
Food Inflation by Region
Latest available reading (periods may differ by country). Choose a region or “All countries”.
Food Inflation — All Countries
Sorted by latest value. Click headers to re-sort.
| # | Country | Last | Previous | Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Argentina | 35.1% | 34.9% | Sep 2026 |
| 2 | Turkey | 28.3% | 27.4% | Dec 2025 |
| 3 | Russia | 13.0% | 12.7% | Feb 2022 |
| 4 | Mexico | 7.8% | 6.5% | Jul 2024 |
| 5 | India | 7.4% | 5.7% | Sep 2026 |
| 6 | Colombia | 6.7% | 6.1% | Sep 2026 |
| 7 | Bulgaria | 5.6% | 5.0% | Dec 2025 |
| 8 | Estonia | 5.6% | 6.5% | Dec 2025 |
| 9 | Iceland | 5.5% | 6.0% | Dec 2025 |
| 10 | Chile | 5.2% | 7.3% | Dec 2023 |
| 11 | Norway | 5.2% | 4.7% | Dec 2025 |
| 12 | Slovenia | 4.5% | 5.0% | Dec 2025 |
| 13 | Latvia | 4.2% | 5.2% | Dec 2025 |
| 14 | Brazil | 4.1% | 4.0% | Jul 2019 |
| 15 | Ireland | 4.1% | 4.3% | Dec 2025 |
| 16 | Lithuania | 4.1% | 4.3% | Dec 2025 |
| 17 | Austria | 3.9% | 3.6% | Dec 2025 |
| 18 | Sweden | 3.7% | 3.1% | Dec 2025 |
| 19 | Greece | 3.6% | 2.7% | Dec 2025 |
| 20 | Denmark | 3.5% | 3.5% | Dec 2025 |
| 21 | Portugal | 3.5% | 3.5% | Dec 2025 |
| 22 | Luxembourg | 3.4% | 2.8% | Dec 2025 |
| 23 | Canada | 3.3% | 3.8% | May 2025 |
| 24 | Netherlands | 3.3% | 3.4% | Dec 2025 |
| 25 | Costa Rica | 3.2% | 3.1% | Jan 2022 |
| 26 | Spain | 3.0% | 2.8% | Dec 2025 |
| 27 | Australia | 3.0% | 3.2% | Aug 2026 |
| 28 | Belgium | 2.8% | 3.1% | Dec 2025 |
| 29 | Croatia | 2.8% | 4.0% | Dec 2025 |
| 30 | European Union | 2.8% | 2.7% | Dec 2025 |
| 31 | South Africa | 2.8% | 2.5% | Dec 2024 |
| 32 | Slovakia | 2.8% | 0.9% | Dec 2025 |
| 33 | Euro Area | 2.5% | 2.3% | Dec 2025 |
| 34 | Poland | 2.4% | 2.7% | Dec 2025 |
| 35 | Italy | 2.3% | 1.9% | Dec 2025 |
| 36 | United States | 2.2% | 2.7% | Aug 2026 |
| 37 | Finland | 2.0% | 1.7% | Dec 2025 |
| 38 | France | 1.8% | 1.5% | Dec 2025 |
| 39 | Czech Republic | 1.7% | 2.2% | Dec 2025 |
| 40 | Saudi Arabia | 1.6% | 1.5% | Jul 2025 |
| 41 | United Kingdom | 1.3% | 1.3% | Aug 2026 |
| 42 | South Korea | 1.0% | -0.5% | Sep 2026 |
| 43 | Israel | 0.6% | 1.1% | Aug 2026 |
| 44 | Germany | 0.3% | 0.1% | Sep 2026 |
| 45 | Japan | -0.1% | -1.3% | Jun 2021 |
| 46 | Hungary | -0.3% | 0.5% | Dec 2025 |
| 47 | Switzerland | -0.8% | -0.4% | Dec 2025 |
| 48 | China | -1.7% | -1.4% | Sep 2026 |
Food Inflation around the world — in simple words
Overview
Food Inflation is available for 42 economies with recent data. The median value is 3.3% and the simple average is 4.5%.
Highest: Argentina (35.1%), Turkey (28.3%), Mexico (7.8%), India (7.4%), Colombia (6.7%).
Lowest: China (-1.7%), Switzerland (-0.8%), Hungary (-0.3%), Germany (0.3%), Israel (0.6%).
Major economies
Among the 15 major economies tracked here, Mexico (7.8%) has the highest reading and China (-1.7%) the lowest. Their median is 2.2%.
Food Inflation — Regional Medians
Median of the latest readings of countries in each World Bank region. The median is the middle value — half the countries are above it and half below.
| Region | Countries | Median |
|---|---|---|
| East Asia & Pacific | 3 | 1.0% |
| Europe & Central Asia | 29 | 3.4% |
| Latin America & Caribbean | 4 | 7.3% |
| Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan | 2 | 1.1% |
| North America | 2 | 2.8% |
| South Asia | 1 | 7.4% |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 1 | 2.8% |
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.
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 does food inflation measure?
Which country has the highest food inflation?
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.