Inflation New Zealand 1998

Average inflation: 1.3%

Current Inflation

Inflation is low at 1.3%, below the ECB target of 2%.

Peak and Trough

The highest inflation was in June at 1.7%. The lowest inflation was in December at 0.4%.

Highest month
June: 1.7%
Lowest month
December: 0.4%
Difference
1.3 percentage points
Months with data
4 of 12

Category Insights

The highest price increase was in Food with an average of 3.5%. The lowest price increase was in Energy with an average of -1.7%.

Highest increase
Food: 3.5%
Lowest increase
Energy: -1.7%

Historical Context

Current inflation is 0.8% lower than the 5-year average of 2.1%.

5-year average
2.1%
10-year average
2.7%
All-time high (1980)
17.2%
All-time low (1992)
1%

Trend

Inflation has remained relatively stable. Compared to 1997, the difference is minimal (+0.1 percentage point).

Change vs. previous year
+0.1 percentage points
Largest monthly swing
September: +0.7 percentage points

ECB Target

Inflation is 0.7% below the ECB target of 2.0%. Too low inflation may indicate economic weakness.

Purchasing Power

At this inflation rate, purchasing power gradually decreases. The impact on daily expenses is relatively limited.

What you could buy for €100 this year will cost approximately €101.30 next year at this inflation rate.

Multi-year trend

Monthly figures 1998

Inflation by category

Food
3.5%
+2.3vs avg.
More details →
Energy
-1.7%
-3.0vs avg.
More details →
Core inflation
1.1%
-0.3vs avg.
More details →

Inflation differs per product group. Click on a category for the historical trend.

Month overview

Month Inflation Difference vs. 1997
March 1.3% -0.5
June 1.7% +0.6
September 1.7% +0.7
December 0.4% -0.4
Average 1.3%

Data source

Data from WorldBank. Last updated: 04/01/2026.

See also