Inflation in Russia by year: complete statistics since 1991 and charts
2026-07-28 · Prices, inflation
Inflation in Russia as of the end of 2025 amounted to 5.6%, and from January to June 2026 prices rose by 4.2%. These are official Rosstat data: the consumer price index, December to December of the previous year. Over the past ten full years, from 2016 to 2025, prices increased by 84%, which is about 6.3% on average per year. Below is the complete table for all years since 1991, interactive charts, and an analysis of why personal inflation is usually higher than the official rate.
Inflation by year: Table 1991–2026
Rosstat has been calculating the consumer price index since 1991. The table shows annual inflation in percent, i.e., how much prices increased in December compared to December of the previous year.
| Year | Inflation | Year | Inflation | Year | Inflation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 160.4% | 2003 | 12.0% | 2015 | 12.9% |
| 1992 | 2,508.8% | 2004 | 11.7% | 2016 | 5.4% |
| 1993 | 839.9% | 2005 | 10.9% | 2017 | 2.5% |
| 1994 | 215.1% | 2006 | 9.0% | 2018 | 4.3% |
| 1995 | 131.3% | 2007 | 11.9% | 2019 | 3.0% |
| 1996 | 21.8% | 2008 | 13.3% | 2020 | 4.9% |
| 1997 | 11.0% | 2009 | 8.8% | 2021 | 8.4% |
| 1998 | 84.4% | 2010 | 8.8% | 2022 | 11.9% |
| 1999 | 36.5% | 2011 | 6.1% | 2023 | 7.4% |
| 2000 | 20.2% | 2012 | 6.6% | 2024 | 9.5% |
| 2001 | 18.6% | 2013 | 6.5% | 2025 | 5.6% |
| 2002 | 15.1% | 2014 | 11.3% | 2026* | 4.2% |
* For January–June 2026, cumulative. The year is not yet over, so this figure cannot be directly compared with annual values.
The first five years in the series stand out from any chart: 2,508.8% for 1992 compresses everything else into a flat line near zero. Therefore, the chart below shows the period from 1996, when inflation first dropped below 25%.
The dynamics from 1991 and the monthly breakdown can be viewed on the interactive chart of the consumer price index: hover over any point to see the exact value.
The chart shows four spikes: 1998 with its 84.4%, the 2008 crisis, the 2014–2015 devaluation, and the 2021–2022 period. Between them lies a calm stretch from 2016 to 2020, and the lowest figure in the entire observation period remains 2017 with its 2.5%.
What is inflation and how Rosstat calculates it
Inflation is measured using the consumer price index. Rosstat collects monthly prices for a fixed basket of representative goods and services in retail outlets across all regions, then weights them according to the expenditure structure of the average family: if one-quarter of the budget is spent on food, food products account for one-quarter of the index weight.
Rosstat publishes the basket and its weights openly. The structure of consumer expenditures contains more than 1,900 items, ranging from broad groups to specific entries such as "polished rice, kg."
This gives rise to two points of contention that often spark debate.
First: the index describes a basket, not your wallet. The weights are derived from household budget surveys, and your personal spending structure almost certainly differs from the average.
Second concerns the arithmetic. Annual inflation is calculated as December-to-December. There is also a second indicator, the average annual rate, which usually differs by a couple of percentage points, and when different figures for the same year are reported in the news, this is most often the reason.
Why personal inflation is higher than official inflation
The main reason for the discrepancy is clearly visible in the data: the average 5.6% for 2025 is made up of very different components.
Over the three years from 2023 to 2025, insurance and financial services became 39% more expensive, while clothing and footwear rose by just 8%. The gap is almost fivefold within the same "average inflation". Cafes and restaurants increased by 32%, healthcare and education by 31% each, housing and utilities by 29%, and food products by 26%. Meanwhile, communication and internet services grew by 9% over the same three years, even decreasing by 2% in 2025.
The arithmetic is simple. If you eat out often, pay for kindergarten and dental treatment, your personal basket will grow faster than the official one. If your main expenses are on appliances, clothing and mobile services, you will end up below the average.
A breakdown by all groups of the classifier can be viewed in the category chart: it provides details down to individual products such as rice and buckwheat.
Monthly inflation: seasonality and the 2022 anomaly
Within a year, prices do not rise evenly, and this unevenness is stable and repeats from year to year.
January is almost always the most expensive month: in 2025, prices rose by 1.23% in just one January, accounting for one-fifth of the entire annual inflation. This is due to tariff indexation, excise duties, and New Year price tags. In August, when the new harvest arrives, deflation usually occurs: minus 0.4% in August 2025.
2022 looks quite different against this backdrop. March saw +7.61% in a single month, equivalent to the entire 2023 inflation. This was followed by three consecutive months of price declines: June minus 0.35%, July minus 0.39%, and August minus 0.52%. The annual result of 11.9% was almost entirely determined by that single March.
It is useful to keep this in mind when reading monthly statistics: one anomalous month can shape the entire year, and the subsequent months of decline do not mean that prices have returned to their previous level.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was inflation in Russia in 2025?
5.6% according to Rosstat (December 2025 vs December 2024). This is noticeably lower than in 2024, which saw 9.5%.
What was inflation in 2026?
From January to June 2026, prices rose by 4.2% on a cumulative basis. The final annual figure will be known in January 2027.
How many times have prices increased since 2000?
From January 2000 to June 2026, consumer prices rose by approximately 10.8 times. Over the last ten full years, 2016–2025, the increase was 84%.
When was inflation in Russia at its lowest?
In 2017, at 2.5%. This is the lowest figure recorded since observations began in 1991. The second-lowest was in 2019, at 3.0%.
Does deflation occur in Russia?
Yes, but usually only on a monthly or seasonal basis. Prices often decline in summer and early autumn due to new harvests: in August 2025, prices fell by 0.4%, and in August 2022, by 0.52%. Annual deflation has never occurred in Russia since 1991.
How does inflation differ from price increases for a specific product?
Inflation is the weighted average change in prices across the entire consumer basket. A single product may rise in price three times faster or even become cheaper. Rosstat publishes average prices for specific products weekly, where the variation between items is much more apparent than in any average figure.
In Brief
Inflation in Russia was 5.6% in 2025 and 4.2% in the first half of 2026. Over the last ten full years, prices rose by 84%, with the lowest figure recorded in 2017 (2.5%) and the highest in the post-Soviet period in 1992 (2508.8%). The official figure reflects the average basket, while the variation between categories reaches fivefold, meaning personal inflation for different households may differ significantly from the aggregate figure.
All series here are taken from Rosstat’s open publications and are updated on the website as new data become available.
See also
- Consumer price indices for Russia, 1991-2026, monthly and annual
- Price indices by KIPC categories, 2023-2025, from major groups to individual goods
- Quarterly consumer price indices, 2005–2026
- Weekly average prices for selected goods
- Entire "Prices, inflation" section, over 1,400 datasets