What's your money actually worth?

See what the pound's buying power has done to your money over time, using the official ONS price index from 1751 to today.

2026 (today)
£100.00 in 1975 has the same buying power as£1,089today
The pound has lost 90.8% of its value since 1975
988.9%
Cumulative price increase over 51 years
4.79%
Average inflation per year
9.2p
What £1 from 1975 buys in today's money, per pound
Conversions from 1975 to today
£1.00 in 1975£10.89 today
£5.00 in 1975£54.44 today
£10.00 in 1975£108.89 today
£50.00 in 1975£544.44 today
£100.00 in 1975£1,089 today
£500.00 in 1975£5,444 today
£1,000 in 1975£10,889 today

Calculated from the Office for National Statistics composite price index (CPI from 1988 onward). Education, not financial advice. Updated July 2026.

The headline stat

The headline stat

The British pound has lost over 99% of its value since 1751, and around 90% just since 1975, according to the Office for National Statistics.

The British pound has lost over 99% of its value since 1751, and around 90% just since 1975, according to the Office for National Statistics.

The British pound has lost over 99% of its value since 1751, and around 90% just since 1975, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Why does money lose value?

Why does money lose value?

Why does money lose value?

Prices in pounds only go one way over time. That isn’t an accident of shopping, it’s a feature of how our money works. When more pounds are created, each pound buys a little less. Year by year the effect looks small. Over a working life it’s enormous: the pound has lost roughly nine tenths of its buying power in the last fifty years alone.

Prices in pounds only go one way over time. That isn’t an accident of shopping, it’s a feature of how our money works. When more pounds are created, each pound buys a little less. Year by year the effect looks small. Over a working life it’s enormous: the pound has lost roughly nine tenths of its buying power in the last fifty years alone.

Prices in pounds only go one way over time. That isn’t an accident of shopping, it’s a feature of how our money works. When more pounds are created, each pound buys a little less. Year by year the effect looks small. Over a working life it’s enormous: the pound has lost roughly nine tenths of its buying power in the last fifty years alone.

How the calculation works

How the calculation works

How the calculation works

We use the composite price index published by the Office for National Statistics, which tracks UK prices back to 1751. From 1988 onward the series is the official Consumer Price Index. The calculation is simple: divide the price index in the later year by the index in the earlier year, and multiply by your amount.

We use the composite price index published by the Office for National Statistics, which tracks UK prices back to 1751. From 1988 onward the series is the official Consumer Price Index. The calculation is simple: divide the price index in the later year by the index in the earlier year, and multiply by your amount.

We use the composite price index published by the Office for National Statistics, which tracks UK prices back to 1751. From 1988 onward the series is the official Consumer Price Index. The calculation is simple: divide the price index in the later year by the index in the earlier year, and multiply by your amount.

Formula, written out for the crawler and the curious:

Formula, written out for the crawler and the curious:

Value today = amount × (CPI today ÷ CPI in your chosen year)

Value today = amount × (CPI today ÷ CPI in your chosen year)

Value today = amount × (CPI today ÷ CPI in your chosen year)

Worked example: £100 in 1975 × (1,467.8 ÷ 134.8) ≈ £1,089 today. Same money, same number on the note, a fraction of the stuff.

Worked example: £100 in 1975 × (1,467.8 ÷ 134.8) ≈ £1,089 today. Same money, same number on the note, a fraction of the stuff.

What this has to do with Bitcoin

What this has to do with Bitcoin

What this has to do with Bitcoin

The Bitcoin Collective exists because of the chart above. Bitcoin has a fixed supply of 21 million, which means no one can quietly create more of it and dilute what you hold. Whether or not Bitcoin is for you, understanding what happens to the pound over time is the first step to thinking clearly about money. If you’re new, start with our plain-English guide, WTF is Bitcoin?

The Bitcoin Collective exists because of the chart above. Bitcoin has a fixed supply of 21 million, which means no one can quietly create more of it and dilute what you hold. Whether or not Bitcoin is for you, understanding what happens to the pound over time is the first step to thinking clearly about money. If you’re new, start with our plain-English guide, WTF is Bitcoin?

The Bitcoin Collective exists because of the chart above. Bitcoin has a fixed supply of 21 million, which means no one can quietly create more of it and dilute what you hold. Whether or not Bitcoin is for you, understanding what happens to the pound over time is the first step to thinking clearly about money. If you’re new, start with our plain-English guide, WTF is Bitcoin?

This section stays educational: about the pound, scarcity, and how to think clearly about money. No returns, no price talk, and no financial advice.

This section stays educational: about the pound, scarcity, and how to think clearly about money. No returns, no price talk, and no financial advice.

Frequently asked questions

Frequently asked questions

Frequently asked questions

How much value has the pound lost since 1971?

How much value has the pound lost since 1971?

Since 1971, when the last link to gold was cut, the pound has lost roughly 94% of its purchasing power. £1 in 1971 bought what would cost you around £16 today.

Since 1971, when the last link to gold was cut, the pound has lost roughly 94% of its purchasing power. £1 in 1971 bought what would cost you around £16 today.

What was £100 in 1990 worth today?

What was £100 in 1990 worth today?

About £295 in today’s money. Put differently, £100 today buys about a third of what it did in 1990.

About £295 in today’s money. Put differently, £100 today buys about a third of what it did in 1990.

What data does this calculator use?

What data does this calculator use?

The Office for National Statistics composite price index, which runs from 1751, using the official Consumer Price Index from 1988 onward. It’s the same series used by academic and reference inflation calculators.

The Office for National Statistics composite price index, which runs from 1751, using the official Consumer Price Index from 1988 onward. It’s the same series used by academic and reference inflation calculators.

Is this financial advice?

Is this financial advice?

No. It’s an education tool showing official inflation data. What you do with your money is your call, and for decisions we’d always suggest proper advice.

No. It’s an education tool showing official inflation data. What you do with your money is your call, and for decisions we’d always suggest proper advice.

Why does The Bitcoin Collective publish this?

Why does The Bitcoin Collective publish this?

Because you can’t make sense of Bitcoin without first making sense of the pound. This is the context everything else sits in.

Because you can’t make sense of Bitcoin without first making sense of the pound. This is the context everything else sits in.

Data: Office for National Statistics composite price index (1751 to present; Consumer Price Index from 1988). This page is maintained by The Bitcoin Collective and updated as new ONS data is released.

Data: Office for National Statistics composite price index (1751 to present; Consumer Price Index from 1988). This page is maintained by The Bitcoin Collective and updated as new ONS data is released.

To cite this page: “What’s Your Money Actually Worth? UK Purchasing Power Calculator.” The Bitcoin Collective, bitcoincollective.co, 2026.

To cite this page: “What’s Your Money Actually Worth? UK Purchasing Power Calculator.” The Bitcoin Collective, bitcoincollective.co, 2026.

Portrait of Jordan Walker

By Jordan Walker

By Jordan Walker

Last updated July 2026.

Last updated July 2026.

Natural next steps

Natural next steps

WTF is Bitcoin?

WTF is Bitcoin?

A plain-English starting point for understanding scarce money.

A plain-English starting point for understanding scarce money.

Shrinkflation tracker

Shrinkflation tracker

See how smaller packs hide higher prices in plain sight.

See how smaller packs hide higher prices in plain sight.

Bitcoin vs UK house prices

Bitcoin vs UK house prices

Coming soon: another way to compare money, time, and assets.

Coming soon: another way to compare money, time, and assets.

Deep links for sharing: the calculator reads amount and from in the URL, so links like /bitcoin/purchasing-power?amount=100&from=1971 open pre-filled. Use this framing in newsletters and social posts: see what’s happened to £100 since the year you were born.

Deep links for sharing: the calculator reads amount and from in the URL, so links like /bitcoin/purchasing-power?amount=100&from=1971 open pre-filled. Use this framing in newsletters and social posts: see what’s happened to £100 since the year you were born.

Maintenance note: once a year when ONS updates, bump the final value in the calculator data, update the “Updated” date, and refresh the headline stat. The freshness signal matters for rankings on this kind of page.

Maintenance note: once a year when ONS updates, bump the final value in the calculator data, update the “Updated” date, and refresh the headline stat. The freshness signal matters for rankings on this kind of page.

Bitcoin in a Nutshell

The week in Bitcoin, made to make sense. Every Friday, free.

Bitcoin in a Nutshell

The week in Bitcoin, made to make sense. Every Friday, free.

Bitcoin in a Nutshell

The week in Bitcoin, made to make sense. Every Friday, free.