Canadian inflation rate in 1920: 16.30%

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Inflation in 1920 and its effect on dollar value

$1 in 1919 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $1.16 in 1920. The dollar had an average inflation rate of 16.30% per year between 1919 and 1920, producing a cumulative price increase of 16.30%. Purchasing power decreased by 16.30% in 1920 compared to 1919. On average, you would have to spend 16.30% more money in 1920 than in 1919 for the same item.

This means that prices in 1920 are 1.16 times as high as average prices since 1919, according to Statistics Canada consumer price index.

The inflation rate in 1919 was 9.53%. The inflation rate in 1920 was 16.30%. The 1920 inflation rate is higher compared to the average inflation rate of 2.57% per year between 1920 and 2024.

Inflation rate is calculated by change in the consumer price index (CPI). The CPI in 1920 was 11.36. It was 9.77 in the previous year, 1919. The difference in CPI between the years is used by Statistics Canada to officially determine inflation.

⌃
Inflation from 1919 to 1920
Average inflation rate16.30%
Converted amount
$1 base		$1.16
Price difference
$1 base		$0.16
CPI in 19199.767
CPI in 192011.358
Inflation in 19199.53%
Inflation in 192016.30%
$1 in 1919$1.16 in 1920
Recent CAD inflation
Annual Rate, Statistics Canada CPI
Download

How to calculate inflation rate for $1, 1919 to 1920

Our calculations use the following inflation rate formula to calculate the change in value between 1919 and 1920:

CPI in 1920 CPI in 1919
×
1919 CAD value
=
1920 CAD value

Then plug in historical CPI values. The Canadian CPI was 9.766666667 in the year 1919 and 11.35833333 in 1920:

11.358333339.766666667
×
$1
=
$1.16

$1 in 1919 has the same "purchasing power" or "buying power" as $1.16 in 1920.

To get the total inflation rate for the 1 years between 1919 and 1920, we use the following formula:

CPI in 1920 - CPI in 1919CPI in 1919
×
100
=
Cumulative inflation rate (1 years)

Plugging in the values to this equation, we get:

11.35833333 - 9.7666666679.766666667
×
100
=
16%

Data source & citation

Raw data for these calculations comes from the government of Canada's annual Consumer Price Index (CPI), established in 1914 and computed by Statistics Canada (StatCan).

You may use the following MLA citation for this page: “Inflation Rate in 1920 | Canada Inflation Calculator.” Official Inflation Data, Alioth Finance, 11 Dec. 2024, https://www.officialdata.org/CAD-inflation-rate-in-1920.

Special thanks to QuickChart for their chart image API, which is used for chart downloads.

in2013dollars.com is a reference website maintained by the Official Data Foundation.

Ian Webster

About the author

Ian Webster is an engineer and data expert based in San Mateo, California. He has worked for Google, NASA, and consulted for governments around the world on data pipelines and data analysis. Disappointed by the lack of clear resources on the impacts of inflation on economic indicators, Ian believes this website serves as a valuable public tool. Ian earned his degree in Computer Science from Dartmouth College.

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Inflation from 1919 to 1920
Average inflation rate16.30%
Converted amount
$1 base		$1.16
Price difference
$1 base		$0.16
CPI in 19199.767
CPI in 192011.358
Inflation in 19199.53%
Inflation in 192016.30%
$1 in 1919$1.16 in 1920