Index slowed down from 3.3% in March; energy and housing services led to decline
UK consumer inflation fell to 2.8% in April from 3.3% in March. It was the lowest level since March 2025, according to data released by the ONS (National Statistics Office) this Wednesday (May 20, 2026).
In the monthly comparison, the CPI (Consumer Price Index) rose 0.7% in April. In the same month of 2025, the increase had been 1.2%. The CPIH, a broader indicator as it includes homeowners’ housing costs, slowed from 3.4% in March to 3.0% in April. Here is it, in English (PDF – 1.52 MB).
The main contribution to the decline came from housing and domestic services, especially electricity and gas. In this group, the annual rate fell from 4.3% in March to 3.0% in April. The decline was influenced by the 8.4% reduction in electricity prices in the month, following changes in the energy tariff ceiling defined by Ofgem.
Food and non-alcoholic beverages also contributed to the reduction, with inflation falling from 3.7% to 3.0%. Recreation and culture fell from 2.8% to 1.7%, partly because of the effect of the Easter calendar on travel packages and airline tickets.
Here are other highlights from the report:
- services slowed from 4.5% to 3.2%;
- goods rose from 2.1% to 2.4%;
- transport was at 4.5%, compared to 4.7% in March;
- restaurants and hotels accelerated from 4.0% to 4.4%.
The relief in inflation was partially offset by the rise in fuel prices. Gasoline reached the highest price since November 2022. Diesel rose to the highest price since July 2022. As a result, fuels had an annual increase of 23.0%, the highest since September 2022.
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