The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 0.9 per cent in the March 2025 quarter and 2.4 per cent annually, according to the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
Leigh Merrington, ABS acting head of prices statistics, said: 'the March quarter increase of 0.9 per cent follows two quarters in a row of 0.2 per cent rises.
'Annual inflation to the March 2025 quarter of 2.4 per cent was unchanged from the December 2024 quarter.'
| Change from previous quarter (%) | Annual change (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Mar-15 | 0.2 | 1.3 |
| Jun-15 | 0.7 | 1.5 |
| Sep-15 | 0.5 | 1.5 |
| Dec-15 | 0.4 | 1.7 |
| Mar-16 | -0.2 | 1.3 |
| Jun-16 | 0.4 | 1.0 |
| Sep-16 | 0.7 | 1.3 |
| Dec-16 | 0.5 | 1.5 |
| Mar-17 | 0.5 | 2.1 |
| Jun-17 | 0.2 | 1.9 |
| Sep-17 | 0.6 | 1.8 |
| Dec-17 | 0.6 | 1.9 |
| Mar-18 | 0.4 | 1.9 |
| Jun-18 | 0.4 | 2.1 |
| Sep-18 | 0.4 | 1.9 |
| Dec-18 | 0.5 | 1.8 |
| Mar-19 | 0.0 | 1.3 |
| Jun-19 | 0.6 | 1.6 |
| Sep-19 | 0.5 | 1.7 |
| Dec-19 | 0.7 | 1.8 |
| Mar-20 | 0.3 | 2.2 |
| Jun-20 | -1.9 | -0.3 |
| Sep-20 | 1.6 | 0.7 |
| Dec-20 | 0.9 | 0.9 |
| Mar-21 | 0.6 | 1.1 |
| Jun-21 | 0.8 | 3.8 |
| Sep-21 | 0.8 | 3.0 |
| Dec-21 | 1.3 | 3.5 |
| Mar-22 | 2.1 | 5.1 |
| Jun-22 | 1.8 | 6.1 |
| Sep-22 | 1.8 | 7.3 |
| Dec-22 | 1.9 | 7.8 |
| Mar-23 | 1.4 | 7.0 |
| Jun-23 | 0.8 | 6.0 |
| Sep-23 | 1.2 | 5.4 |
| Dec-23 | 0.6 | 4.1 |
| Mar-24 | 1.0 | 3.6 |
| Jun-24 | 1.0 | 3.8 |
| Sep-24 | 0.2 | 2.8 |
| Dec-24 | 0.2 | 2.4 |
| Mar-25 | 0.9 | 2.4 |
When prices for some items move by large amounts, measures of underlying inflation like the trimmed mean can give more insights into how inflation is trending.
'Trimmed mean annual inflation was 2.9 per cent in the March quarter, down from 3.3 per cent in the December quarter. This is the lowest annual trimmed mean inflation rate since the December 2021 quarter,' Mr Merrington said.
| All groups CPI (%) | Trimmed mean (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Mar-15 | 1.3 | 2.3 |
| Jun-15 | 1.5 | 2.2 |
| Sep-15 | 1.5 | 2.1 |
| Dec-15 | 1.7 | 2.1 |
| Mar-16 | 1.3 | 1.7 |
| Jun-16 | 1.0 | 1.6 |
| Sep-16 | 1.3 | 1.6 |
| Dec-16 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| Mar-17 | 2.1 | 1.7 |
| Jun-17 | 1.9 | 1.7 |
| Sep-17 | 1.8 | 1.7 |
| Dec-17 | 1.9 | 1.7 |
| Mar-18 | 1.9 | 1.7 |
| Jun-18 | 2.1 | 1.6 |
| Sep-18 | 1.9 | 1.7 |
| Dec-18 | 1.8 | 1.8 |
| Mar-19 | 1.3 | 1.6 |
| Jun-19 | 1.6 | 1.6 |
| Sep-19 | 1.7 | 1.5 |
| Dec-19 | 1.8 | 1.5 |
| Mar-20 | 2.2 | 1.7 |
| Jun-20 | -0.3 | 1.2 |
| Sep-20 | 0.7 | 1.2 |
| Dec-20 | 0.9 | 1.2 |
| Mar-21 | 1.1 | 1.1 |
| Jun-21 | 3.8 | 1.6 |
| Sep-21 | 3.0 | 2.1 |
| Dec-21 | 3.5 | 2.7 |
| Mar-22 | 5.1 | 3.8 |
| Jun-22 | 6.1 | 4.9 |
| Sep-22 | 7.3 | 6.1 |
| Dec-22 | 7.8 | 6.8 |
| Mar-23 | 7.0 | 6.5 |
| Jun-23 | 6.0 | 5.8 |
| Sep-23 | 5.4 | 5.1 |
| Dec-23 | 4.1 | 4.2 |
| Mar-24 | 3.6 | 4.0 |
| Jun-24 | 3.8 | 4.0 |
| Sep-24 | 2.8 | 3.6 |
| Dec-24 | 2.4 | 3.3 |
| Mar-25 | 2.4 | 2.9 |
The main contributors to the quarterly CPI rise of 0.9 per cent were Housing (+1.7 per cent), Education (+5.2 per cent) and Food and non-alcoholic beverages (+1.2 per cent).
The quarterly growth in Housing was driven by Electricity (+16.3 per cent). The rise was driven by increases in electricity prices in Brisbane where most households have used up the $1,000 Queensland State Government electricity rebate resulting in higher out of pocket electricity costs.
Some households in the remaining states and territories also saw rises in electricity bills this quarter. This comes as the impact from the Commonwealth Energy Bill Relief Fund (EBRF) rebates was lower in the March quarter compared to the December quarter due to the timing of rebate payments.
Education prices increased 5.2 per cent this quarter, following the start of the school year. Preschool and primary education rose 5.6 per cent and Secondary education rose 6.4 per cent. This is due to higher operating costs being passed on as higher school fees. Tertiary education rose 3.6 per cent due to the annual indexation of university course fees.
The rise of 1.2 per cent in Food and non-alcoholic beverages was driven by fruit and vegetables (+2.8 per cent). Fruit and vegetables such as avocados, mangoes, asparagus, tomatoes and lettuce saw seasonal price rises following reduced supply.
Annually, the CPI rose 2.4 per cent, unchanged from last quarter. The main contributors to the annual rise were Food and non-alcoholic beverages (+3.2 per cent), Alcohol and tobacco (+6.5 per cent) and Housing (+2.0 per cent).
Annual Goods inflation was 1.3 per cent, up from 0.8 per cent in the previous quarter. The increase in annual Goods inflation was primarily due to the rise in Electricity, which rebounded this quarter after strong falls in the past two quarters.
Annual Services inflation was 3.7 per cent in the March quarter, down from 4.3 per cent in the December quarter.
'This is the lowest annual outcome for Services inflation since the June 2022 quarter, reflecting easing inflation across a broad range of services, including rents and insurance,' Mr Merrington said.
| Goods (%) | Services (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Mar-15 | 0.0 | 3.1 |
| Jun-15 | 0.7 | 2.7 |
| Sep-15 | 0.6 | 2.7 |
| Dec-15 | 1.2 | 2.4 |
| Mar-16 | 0.9 | 1.9 |
| Jun-16 | 0.3 | 2.0 |
| Sep-16 | 1.0 | 1.8 |
| Dec-16 | 1.3 | 1.7 |
| Mar-17 | 2.5 | 1.6 |
| Jun-17 | 2.0 | 1.8 |
| Sep-17 | 1.8 | 1.8 |
| Dec-17 | 2.2 | 1.7 |
| Mar-18 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Jun-18 | 2.3 | 1.8 |
| Sep-18 | 2.2 | 1.6 |
| Dec-18 | 1.7 | 1.7 |
| Mar-19 | 1.3 | 1.3 |
| Jun-19 | 1.5 | 1.4 |
| Sep-19 | 1.5 | 1.8 |
| Dec-19 | 1.9 | 1.8 |
| Mar-20 | 2.7 | 1.8 |
| Jun-20 | 1.3 | -2.2 |
| Sep-20 | 1.8 | -0.6 |
| Dec-20 | 1.1 | 0.8 |
| Mar-21 | 1.1 | 1.1 |
| Jun-21 | 2.8 | 5.1 |
| Sep-21 | 2.8 | 3.5 |
| Dec-21 | 4.3 | 2.3 |
| Mar-22 | 6.6 | 3.0 |
| Jun-22 | 8.4 | 3.3 |
| Sep-22 | 9.6 | 4.1 |
| Dec-22 | 9.5 | 5.5 |
| Mar-23 | 7.6 | 6.1 |
| Jun-23 | 5.8 | 6.3 |
| Sep-23 | 4.9 | 5.8 |
| Dec-23 | 3.8 | 4.6 |
| Mar-24 | 3.1 | 4.3 |
| Jun-24 | 3.2 | 4.5 |
| Sep-24 | 1.4 | 4.6 |
| Dec-24 | 0.8 | 4.3 |
| Mar-25 | 1.3 | 3.7 |
- Free child care
- End of free child care
Today the ABS also released the March 2025 monthly CPI indicator, which rose 2.4 per cent in the 12 months to March, unchanged from the 12 months to February.
The most significant contributors to the rise were Food and non-alcoholic beverages (+3.4 per cent), Alcohol and tobacco (+6.7 per cent) and Housing (+1.8 per cent).
