Inflation & Prices•Series ID: GCPIFYP•1973–2026
Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages Inflation - Historical Data
Tracks year-ended price changes across supermarket groceries, meat, seafood, dairy, fruit and vegetables, and meals out.
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Current Statistics & Historical Records
Latest Reading (2026 Q2)
3.2%
Prev (2026 Q1): 3.1%+0.1 pp
Highest Recorded (1973 Q4)
20.8%
First OPEC oil shock
Lowest Recorded (2012 Q2)
-3.2%
Recorded in 2012 Q2
Long-Run Mean (1973–2026)
5.2%
54 annual observations · Quarterly
Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages Inflation - Historical Series (1973–2026)
% p.a.Drag to pan, scroll to zoom, or toggle between full annual history (1973–2026) and recent quarterly releases.
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Source: Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) / Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) (GCPIFYP) Latest: 3.2 % p.a. (2026 Q2)
Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages Inflation by Decade (1973–2026)
Decade averages, peaks, and troughs across Australian economic cycles
1970s1973–1979
12.8%
High (1973):19.5%
Low (1975):7.4%
1980s1980–1989
8.3%
High (1980):12.6%
Low (1984):5.5%
1990s1990–1999
2.8%
High (1990):4.4%
Low (1994):1.2%
2000s2000–2009
4.0%
High (2006):7.8%
Low (2004):2.3%
2010s2010–2019
1.4%
High (2011):4.8%
Low (2012):-1.7%
2020s2020–2026
3.9%
High (2022):7.1%
Low (2021):1.1%
Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages Inflation - Historical Table (1973–2026)
Unit: % p.a. · Source: Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) / Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) (GCPIFYP)
| Year | Food Inflation (% p.a.) | Year Range (Low – High) | Historical Context / Year Snapshot |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 3.2% | 3.1% – 3.2% | The Australian Economy in 2026 → |
| 2025 | 3.2% | 3.0% – 3.3% | Disinflation & monetary policy recalibration |
| 2024 | 3.3% | 2.9% – 3.8% | The Australian Economy in 2024 → |
| 2023 | 6.2% | 4.5% – 8.0% | The Australian Economy in 2023 → |
| 2022 | 7.1% | 4.3% – 9.2% | Post-pandemic inflation surge & rapid RBA tightening cycle |
| 2021 | 1.1% | 0.7% – 1.8% | The Australian Economy in 2021 → |
| 2020 | 3.3% | 2.3% – 4.2% | COVID-19 pandemic shock & 0.10% cash rate floor |
| 2019 | 2.4% | 2.2% – 2.6% | The Australian Economy in 2019 → |
| 2018 | 0.9% | 0.2% – 1.6% | The Australian Economy in 2018 → |
| 2017 | 0.8% | -0.7% – 2.0% | The Australian Economy in 2017 → |
| 2016 | 0.8% | -0.1% – 1.9% | The Australian Economy in 2016 → |
| 2015 | 1.0% | 0.2% – 1.9% | The Australian Economy in 2015 → |
| 2014 | 2.5% | 2.0% – 3.5% | The Australian Economy in 2014 → |
| 2013 | 0.8% | -0.6% – 1.6% | The Australian Economy in 2013 → |
| 2012 | -1.7% | -3.2% – 0.2% | The Australian Economy in 2012 → |
| 2011 | 4.8% | 2.5% – 6.4% | China mining investment & Terms of Trade supercycle peak |
| 2010 | 1.6% | 0.8% – 2.5% | The Australian Economy in 2010 → |
| 2009 | 3.8% | 1.9% – 5.8% | The Australian Economy in 2009 → |
| 2008 | 4.7% | 3.4% – 5.7% | Global Financial Crisis (GFC) & emergency rate cuts |
| 2007 | 2.4% | 1.1% – 4.5% | The Australian Economy in 2007 → |
| 2006 | 7.8% | 4.2% – 9.9% | The Australian Economy in 2006 → |
| 2005 | 2.4% | 0.8% – 3.6% | The Australian Economy in 2005 → |
| 2004 | 2.3% | 1.7% – 3.3% | The Australian Economy in 2004 → |
| 2003 | 3.7% | 3.0% – 4.4% | The Australian Economy in 2003 → |
| 2002 | 3.6% | 2.5% – 4.8% | The Australian Economy in 2002 → |
| 2001 | 6.5% | 5.5% – 7.5% | The Australian Economy in 2001 → |
| 2000 | 2.4% | 1.2% – 3.5% | Introduction of the 10% Goods and Services Tax (GST) |
| 1999 | 3.4% | 2.3% – 4.4% | The Australian Economy in 1999 → |
| 1998 | 2.7% | 1.6% – 4.0% | The Australian Economy in 1998 → |
| 1997 | 2.6% | 1.4% – 3.7% | The Australian Economy in 1997 → |
| 1996 | 2.8% | 2.4% – 3.2% | The Australian Economy in 1996 → |
| 1995 | 3.9% | 3.1% – 4.5% | The Australian Economy in 1995 → |
| 1994 | 1.2% | 0.7% – 1.5% | The Australian Economy in 1994 → |
| 1993 | 2.4% | 1.5% – 2.7% | RBA formalises 2–3% inflation targeting |
| 1992 | 1.3% | 0.9% – 2.0% | The Australian Economy in 1992 → |
| 1991 | 3.4% | 2.0% – 5.2% | Early 1990s recession ("The recession we had to have") |
| 1990 | 4.4% | 2.5% – 6.2% | Monetary tightening peak (17.5% Cash Rate) |
| 1989 | 8.8% | 7.6% – 9.5% | The Australian Economy in 1989 → |
| 1988 | 7.9% | 4.6% – 9.6% | The Australian Economy in 1988 → |
| 1987 | 5.5% | 4.1% – 7.9% | October 1987 sharemarket crash |
| 1986 | 8.9% | 8.3% – 9.8% | The Australian Economy in 1986 → |
| 1985 | 6.2% | 4.5% – 7.2% | The Australian Economy in 1985 → |
| 1984 | 5.5% | 3.8% – 8.6% | The Australian Economy in 1984 → |
| 1983 | 10.1% | 8.9% – 12.2% | Float of the Australian Dollar & Prices and Incomes Accord |
| 1982 | 7.6% | 7.2% – 8.0% | Early 1980s recession & drought |
| 1981 | 9.4% | 8.6% – 10.2% | The Australian Economy in 1981 → |
| 1980 | 12.6% | 11.4% – 14.9% | The Australian Economy in 1980 → |
| 1979 | 14.0% | 12.7% – 14.8% | The Australian Economy in 1979 → |
| 1978 | 9.6% | 8.6% – 10.0% | The Australian Economy in 1978 → |
| 1977 | 11.6% | 9.5% – 13.2% | The Australian Economy in 1977 → |
| 1976 | 12.3% | 10.4% – 13.6% | The Australian Economy in 1976 → |
| 1975 | 7.4% | 5.9% – 9.3% | The Australian Economy in 1975 → |
| 1974 | 15.3% | 9.9% – 19.4% | 1974 wage explosion & stagflation peak |
| 1973 | 19.5% | 18.2% – 20.8% | First OPEC oil shock |
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Source Information & Methodology
- Primary Institution:
- Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) / Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)
- Dataset / Publication:
- CPI Expenditure Groups - Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages
- Series / Table ID:
- RBA Statistical Table G2 (GCPIFYP)
- Release Frequency:
- Quarterly
• Primary source: Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) / Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) - CPI Expenditure Groups - Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages (RBA Statistical Table G2).
• Observation frequency: Quarterly. Annual table values represent calendar year averages.
• Series coverage spans 1973 to 2026 (54 annual observations).
APA Citation:Reserve Bank of Australia & Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2026). CPI Expenditure Groups - Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages (G2: GCPIFYP). Retrieved October 2026 from https://www.rba.gov.au/statistics/tables/
Frequently Asked Questions: Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages Inflation
- What is the current Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages Inflation?
- As of 2026 Q2, the latest recorded Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages Inflation is 3.2 (% p.a.), compared with 3.1 in 2026 Q1.
- What is the highest and lowest Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages Inflation ever recorded in Australia?
- Across the historical series (1973–2026), the highest observation was 20.8 (% p.a.) in 1973 Q4, while the lowest was -3.2 (% p.a.) in 2012 Q2. The long-run historical average is 5.2.
- Where is the official Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages Inflation data sourced from?
- This series is compiled from Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) / Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) (CPI Expenditure Groups - Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages, Series ID: GCPIFYP) and is updated on a quarterly basis under CC BY 4.0 International / RBA Terms.