The United Kingdom’s Retail Price Index (RPI) inflation accelerated in March 2026, with the month‑on‑month rate rising to 0.8%, up from 0.4% in February 2026. The data, updated on 22 April 2026, show that price pressures measured by RPI have effectively doubled over the month.
On a month‑over‑month basis, the latest reading indicates that prices in March increased at a faster pace compared with February, when the 0.4% figure reflected a more moderate gain from the preceding month. Under the comparison methodology, the “actual” figure captures the change from February to March, while the “previous” figure reflects the change from January to February.
The move higher in March’s RPI will likely draw attention from market participants and policymakers monitoring inflation trends, given that RPI is widely followed in the UK for index-linked contracts, some wage agreements, and certain government and corporate bond obligations.
