Your feedback can help us improve and enhance our services to the public. Tell us what matters to you in our online Customer Satisfaction Survey.
This chapter contains annual averages from the monthly Consumer Price Index and the Wholesale Price Index reports. We have also included data on the National Average Price (NAP) for some of the items in the CPI basket of goods and services.
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is designed to measure the change in the average level of prices of goods and services bought for the purpose of consumption by all private and institutional households in Ireland and by foreign tourists while on holiday in Ireland.
| Goods | Services | All Items | |
| 2003 | 108.5 | 70.2 | 85.2 |
| 2004 | 109.5 | 72.6 | 87.1 |
| 2005 | 110.3 | 75.4 | 89.2 |
| 2006 | 111.7 | 80.1 | 92.7 |
| 2007 | 112.9 | 86.8 | 97.3 |
| 2008 | 116.2 | 91.1 | 101.2 |
| 2009 | 111.1 | 86.9 | 96.7 |
| 2010 | 108.7 | 87 | 95.8 |
| 2011 | 110.1 | 90.2 | 98.3 |
| 2012 | 111.5 | 92 | 99.9 |
| 2013 | 110.4 | 93.6 | 100.4 |
| 2014 | 108.1 | 95.5 | 100.6 |
| 2015 | 104.1 | 97.7 | 100.3 |
| 2016 | 101 | 99.9 | 100.3 |
| 2017 | 98.9 | 102 | 100.7 |
| 2018 | 98.2 | 103.4 | 101.2 |
| 2019 | 97.1 | 105.9 | 102.1 |
| 2020 | 95 | 107 | 101.8 |
Figure 20.1 shows the annual average indices (Base: Dec 2016=100) for All Items, Goods and Services for the period 2003 to 2020. Over the period 2003 to 2020, the CPI All Items increased by 19.5%. During this period, the cost of Services increased by 52.4% and the rate for Goods decreased by 12.4%.
Every month, the CSO publishes a national average price (NAP) for some of the items in the CPI basket of goods and services. Figures 20.2 and 20.3 show the annual national average prices for some of these items for the period 2010 to 2020.
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | |
| Potatoes 2.5KG | 3.26325 | 3.183 | 3.38725 | 3.831 | 3.072 | 2.945 | 3.157 | 3.18175 | 3.30816666666667 | 3.64 | 3.56 |
| Brown sliced pan 800g | 1.65016666666667 | 1.715 | 1.52325 | 1.54775 | 1.517 | 1.35458333333333 | 1.35775 | 1.39033333333333 | 1.39575 | 1.46 | 1.46 |
| Milk - full fat 2 litres | 1.79516666666667 | 1.826 | 1.77225 | 1.80183333333333 | 1.745 | 1.72058333333333 | 1.70541666666667 | 1.69475 | 1.69875 | 1.69 | 1.69 |
| Stout draught - bar 1 pt | 3.95633333333333 | 3.952 | 3.9955 | 4.18366666666667 | 4.298 | 4.308 | 4.33158333333333 | 4.43233333333333 | 4.549 | 4.65 | 4.8 |
| Petrol unleaded 1 litre | 1.31425 | 1.494 | 1.63141666666667 | 1.58125 | 1.525 | 1.369 | 1.28058333333333 | 1.36391666666667 | 1.43191666666667 | 1.42 | 1.37 |
| Diesel 1 litre | 1.23166666666667 | 1.43 | 1.56233333333333 | 1.50575 | 1.448 | 1.26016666666667 | 1.146 | 1.24991666666667 | 1.33533333333333 | 1.33533333333333 | 1.27 |
It can be seen from Figure 20.2 that in the ten-year period from 2010 to 2020, the national average price for unleaded petrol increased by 4.6%, from €1.31 to €1.37 per litre, peaking in 2012 at €1.63 per litre. The corresponding national average price for diesel increased by 3.3%, from €1.23 to €1.27 per litre, also peaking in 2012 at €1.56 per litre. In the period 2010 to 2020, the lowest national average price for both unleaded petrol and diesel in Ireland was in 2016 when they cost on average €1.28 and €1.15 per litre respectively.
The average price for a pint of stout in a bar has increased from €3.96 in 2010 to €4.80 in 2020, a rise of 21.2%.
The average price of the humble potato increased by 9.2% between 2010 and 2020 from €3.26 to €3.56 for a 2.5 kg bag. Potato prices peaked at €3.83 in 2013 and were at their lowest at €2.95 in 2015.
Link to release: Consumer Price Index
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | |
| Roast Beef - topside/rib 1KG | 10.509 | 11.022 | 11.8384166666667 | 12.8170833333333 | 12.941 | 13.0461083333333 | 13.2943333333333 | 13.2560833333333 | 13.4975 | 14.11 | 13.51 |
| Cod Fillets 1KG | 15.6256666666667 | 16.116 | 16.122 | 15.7075833333333 | 16.099 | 15.9485833333333 | 15.9555 | 15.9983333333333 | 16.1016666666667 | 16.24 | 17.18 |
| Cheddar cheese 1 KG | 11.40225 | 11.573 | 11.1205 | 11.0129166666667 | 10.984 | 10.49625 | 10.28075 | 9.88191666666667 | 9.82925 | 9.84 | 9.05 |
| Whiskey - take home bottle 70cl | 22.6446666666667 | 22.052 | 21.5055833333333 | 23.6253333333333 | 24.845 | 24.92975 | 25.2813333333333 | 24.7455 | 24.5839166666667 | 24.08 | 25.88 |
| Gent's dry cut | 12.7166666666667 | 12.275 | 11.9216666666667 | 11.7656666666667 | 11.846 | 11.8565 | 11.9371666666667 | 12.115 | 12.6794166666667 | 13.69 | 15.57 |
| Cigarettes - filtered 20 pk | 8.41741666666667 | 8.526 | 9.07275 | 9.33025 | 9.631 | 10.0929166666667 | 10.7676666666667 | 11.4313333333333 | 12.1068333333333 | 12.87 | 13.44 |
Figure 20.3 shows that the national average price of a packet of 20 cigarettes has steadily risen from €8.42 in 2010 to €13.44 in 2020, an increase of 59.6%.
The average price for a 70cl bottle of whiskey has increased from €22.64 in 2010 to €25.88 in 2020.
Link to release: Consumer Price Index
| Table 20.1 Industrial Producer Price Indices (excluding VAT) | |||||||
| Base: Year 2015 = 100 | |||||||
| Industrial sector | NACE Code | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
| Food products (10) | 10 | 100.0 | 99.1 | 102.5 | 97.5 | 101.1 | 99.2 |
| Meat and meat products | 101 | 100.0 | 97.1 | 98.6 | 96.6 | 95.7 | 94.0 |
| Fish and fish products | 102 | 100.0 | 111.0 | 116.7 | 120.4 | 130.6 | 128.4 |
| Fruit and vegetables | 103 | 100.0 | 96.4 | 92.1 | 93.8 | 96.6 | 96.1 |
| Vegetable and animal oils and fats | 104 | 100.0 | 100.5 | 95.6 | 93.7 | 93.9 | 93.7 |
| Dairy products | 105 | 100.0 | 97.7 | 117.6 | 116.0 | 109.4 | 106.4 |
| Grain milling, starches and animal feeds | 106,109 | 100.0 | 99.8 | 99.1 | 102.9 | 104.2 | 103.2 |
| Bakery and farinaceous products | 107 | 100.0 | 94.2 | 92.4 | 93.3 | 94.4 | 94.1 |
| Other food products | 108 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 101.8 | 93.4 | 100.9 | 99.1 |
| Beverages | 11 | 100.0 | 101.2 | 96.2 | 93.1 | 94.1 | 96.3 |
| Tobacco products (12) | 12 | * | * | * | * | * | * |
| Textiles | 13 | 100.0 | 100.5 | 100.3 | 100.7 | 101.4 | 107.4 |
| Wearing apparel | 14 | 100.0 | 100.3 | 101.6 | 106.5 | 109.2 | 109.3 |
| Leather and leather products (incl. footwear); dressing and dyeing of fur | 15 | 100.0 | 99.9 | 99.9 | 99.9 | 100.4 | 101.5 |
| Wood and wood products | 16 | 100.0 | 98.4 | 96.5 | 103.2 | 105.6 | 104.1 |
| Pulp, paper and paper products | 17 | 100.0 | 97.3 | 93.5 | 93.4 | 93.9 | 93.4 |
| Printing and reproduction of recorded media | 18 | 100.0 | 97.3 | 95.0 | 96.0 | 96.4 | 96.1 |
| Coke and refined petroleum products (19) | 19 | * | * | * | * | * | * |
| Chemicals and chemical products | 20 | 100.0 | 99.0 | 98.8 | 98.7 | 98.5 | 98.5 |
| Basic pharmaceutical products and pharmaceutical preparations | 21 | * | * | * | * | * | * |
| Rubber and plastic products | 22 | 100.0 | 97.0 | 95.0 | 96.4 | 97.4 | 96.4 |
| Other non-metallic mineral products | 23 | 100.0 | 95.6 | 94.5 | 97.8 | 102.9 | 103.3 |
| Basic metals | 24 | 100.0 | 89.1 | 96.8 | 99.4 | 96.7 | 92.3 |
| Fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment | 25 | 100.0 | 96.1 | 95.0 | 97.4 | 99.9 | 99.7 |
| Computer, electronic and optical products | 26 | * | * | * | * | * | * |
| Electrical equipment | 27 | 100.0 | 89.9 | 82.4 | 79.7 | 85.8 | 85.8 |
| Machinery and equipment n.e.c. | 28 | * | * | * | * | * | * |
| Motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers | 29 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 104.3 | 107.7 | 104.8 | 104.8 |
| Furniture | 31 | 100.0 | 102.3 | 104.4 | 108.8 | 108.4 | 109.2 |
| Other manufacturing | 32 | * | * | * | * | * | * |
| Mining and quarrying | 05 - 09 | 100.0 | 100.1 | 107.8 | 104.8 | 103.1 | 97.3 |
| Total manufacturing industries | 100.0 | 99.1 | 98.8 | 96.4 | 95.5 | 87.2 | |
| Manufacturing industries (home sales) | 100.0 | 100.2 | 99.3 | 98.9 | 101.2 | 99.7 | |
| Manufacturing industries (export sales) | 100.0 | 99.0 | 98.8 | 96.3 | 95.2 | 86.6 | |
| Total transportable goods industries | 100.0 | 99.1 | 98.8 | 96.4 | 95.5 | 87.2 | |
| Source: CSO | |||||||
| * Data suppressed for confidentiality reasons | |||||||
Table 20.1 shows the Industrial Producer Price Indices for the period 2015 to 2020. Between 2015 and 2020, the indices for Total manufacturing industries and Total transportable goods industries both decreased by 12.8%, while Manufacturing industries (export sales) decreased further, by 13.4%.
Some sub-indices in this table are suppressed to protect data confidentiality. Of the non-confidential sub-indices, the most notable decreases were in Electrical equipment (-14.2%), Basic metals (-7.7%), and Pulp, paper and paper products (-6.6%). The most notable increases over this time period were in Fish and fish products (+28.4%), Wearing apparel (+9.3%) and Furniture (+9.2%).
Between 2019 and 2020, the overall manufacturing index decreased between 2019 and 2020 by 8.7%. The largest decreases in the non-confidential producer price sub-indices were in Mining and quarrying (-5.6%), Basic metals (-4.6%) and Dairy products (-2.7%), while the largest increases were in Textiles (+5.9%), Beverages (+2.3%) and Leather and leather products (+1.1%).
Link to release: Wholesale Price Index
| Table 20.2 Wholesale Price Indices (excluding VAT) for Energy Products1 | ||||||
| Base: Year 2015 = 100 | ||||||
| Energy products | Index | |||||
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | |
| Petrol | 100.0 | 95.8 | 100.2 | 103.3 | 103.8 | 96.5 |
| Autodiesel | 100.0 | 95.4 | 100.2 | 105.8 | 106.3 | 97.8 |
| Gas oil (other than autodiesel) | 100.0 | 93.0 | 99.2 | 106.1 | 105.3 | 91.1 |
| Fuel oil | 100.0 | 94.8 | 103.3 | 110.6 | 110.1 | 96.0 |
| Electricity | 100.0 | 82.6 | 89.2 | 117.4 | 92.8 | 69.4 |
| All energy fuels2 | 100.0 | 94.7 | 101.9 | 108.5 | 108.3 | 95.6 |
| All energy products | 100.0 | 86.6 | 93.4 | 114.5 | 97.9 | 78.1 |
| Source:CSO | ||||||
| 1Fuels purchased by Manufacturing Industry. | ||||||
| 2 Energy products excluding electricity. | ||||||
Table 20.2 shows the index numbers for Wholesale Price Indices for Energy Products for the period 2015 to 2020. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in record low energy demand. This in turn meant large reductions in wholesale energy prices. The most notable decreases between 2019 and 2020 were in Electricity (-25.2%), Gas oil (other than autodiesel) (-13.5%) and Fuel oil (-12.8%). Between 2019 and 2020, the index for All energy fuels decreased by 11.7% while the index for All energy products decreased by 20.2%.
Link to release: Wholesale Price Index
Go to next chapter Earnings
Learn about our data and confidentiality safeguards, and the steps we take to produce statistics that can be trusted by all.