Inflation in 1976 and its effect on pound value
Purchasing power decreased by 16.54% in 1976 compared to 1975. On average, you would have to spend 16.54% more money in 1976 than in 1975 for the same item.
In other words, £1 in 1975 is equivalent in purchasing power to about £1.17 in 1976.
The 1975 inflation rate was 24.24%. The inflation rate in 1976 was 16.54%. The 1976 inflation rate is higher compared to the average inflation rate of 4.60% per year between 1976 and 2020.
Inflation rate is calculated by change in the composite price index (CPI). The CPI in 1976 was 157.10. It was 134.80 in the previous year, 1975. The difference in CPI between the years is used by the Office for National Statistics to officially determine inflation.
⌃
| Average inflation rate | 16.54% |
| Converted amount (£1 base) | £1.17 |
| Price difference (£1 base) | £0.17 |
| CPI in 1975 | 134.800 |
| CPI in 1976 | 157.100 |
| Inflation in 1975 | 24.24% |
| Inflation in 1976 | 16.54% |
How to Calculate Inflation Rate for £1, 1975 to 1976
Our calculations use the following inflation rate formula to calculate the change in value between 1975 and 1976:
CPI in 1976
CPI in 1975
×
1975 GBP value
=
1976 GBP value
Then plug in historical CPI values. The U.K. CPI was 134.8 in the year 1975 and 157.1 in 1976:
157.1134.8
×
£1
=
£1.17
£1 in 1975 has the same "purchasing power" or "buying power" as £1.17 in 1976.
To get the total inflation rate for the 1 years between 1975 and 1976, we use the following formula:
CPI in 1976 - CPI in 1975CPI in 1975
×
100
=
Cumulative inflation rate (1 years)
Plugging in the values to this equation, we get:
157.1 - 134.8134.8
×
100
=
17%
News headlines from 1975
Politics and news often influence economic performance. Here's what was happening at the time:
- Margaret Thatcher becomes leader of the British Conservative Party, after defeating Edward Heath.
- Ethiopia abrogates its 3,000-year-old monarchy.
- Bill Gates and Paul Allen found Microsoft.
- The US signals the beginning of the end of its involvement Vietnam, after it begins to evacuate its citizens from Saigon.
- Gough Whitlam is removed by Governor General Sir John Kerr: the first time an elected Prime Minister had been deposed in 200 years (Australia).
Data Source & Citation
Raw data for these calculations comes from the composite price index published by the UK Office for National Statistics (ONS). A composite index is created by combining price data from several different published sources, both official and unofficial. The Consumer Price Index, normally used to compute inflation, has only been tracked since 1988. All inflation calculations after 1988 use the Office for National Statistics' Consumer Price Index, except for 2017, which is based on The Bank of England's forecast.
You may use the following MLA citation for this page: “Inflation Rate in 1976 | UK Inflation Calculator.” Official Inflation Data, Alioth Finance, 21 Jun. 2020, https://www.officialdata.org/UK-inflation-rate-in-1976.
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.
| Average inflation rate | 16.54% |
| Converted amount (£1 base) | £1.17 |
| Price difference (£1 base) | £0.17 |
| CPI in 1975 | 134.800 |
| CPI in 1976 | 157.100 |
| Inflation in 1975 | 24.24% |
| Inflation in 1976 | 16.54% |