How to use the World Bank WDI for inflation research

The World Development Indicators (WDI) is compiled by the World Bank from official national statistics agencies and international organisations. For inflation research, the two most useful indicators are:

• FP.CPI.TOTL.ZG — Inflation, consumer prices (annual %) — the headline CPI growth rate, available for 180+ countries back to 1960
• FP.CPI.TOTL — Consumer price index (2010 = 100) — the index level, useful for calculating compounding inflation over any period

The WDI lags current year data by 6–12 months (annual data is published after each calendar year closes). For the most recent months, use the World Bank Open Data portal or our inflation explorer, which fetches WDI data directly.

There are three ways to get WDI inflation data:

1. The browser UI: Go to data.worldbank.org/indicator/FP.CPI.TOTL.ZG. Select countries using the "Details" tab. Download as CSV, Excel, or JSON.
2. The DataBank: DataBank lets you build custom queries across multiple indicators, countries, and years. Useful for downloading a matrix of countries × years in one file.
3. The API: https://api.worldbank.org/v2/country/{ISO3}/indicator/FP.CPI.TOTL.ZG?format=json. Returns JSON with pagination. Use per_page=100 to get all years in one call. The WDI API documentation explains all query parameters.

Each WDI data point represents a calendar-year average of the monthly CPI index, expressed as a year-on-year percentage change. Key things to understand:

• Country coverage varies: High-income OECD countries have data back to the 1960s; many developing countries start in the 1980s or later. Gaps (shown as blank cells) mean data was not reported or verified.
• The World Bank sources from national agencies: WDI is a secondary compilation. For the most precise or recent data, always check the source (BLS for US, Eurostat for EU, ONS for UK, Armstat for Armenia).
• Measures may differ: Some countries report CPI; EU members report HICP. WDI uses the national headline measure in each case. Do not directly compare a country using CPI with one using HICP without checking the methodology. See our comparison guide.

The annual rate (FP.CPI.TOTL.ZG) tells you how much prices rose in one year. The index level (FP.CPI.TOTL, base 2010 = 100) lets you calculate cumulative inflation over any period. Formula:

Cumulative inflation = (CPI_end / CPI_start − 1) × 100%

Example: if US CPI index was 100 in 2010 and 158 in 2026, prices rose 58% over that period. This is what powers our calculator tool. The index is also the input needed to compute real values: divide any nominal series by the CPI index and multiply by 100 to get inflation-adjusted figures. The FRED CPIAUCSL series is the best source for US index data with monthly granularity; the WDI provides the annual equivalent for cross-country work.

For a complete research workflow, cross-reference WDI with two other free databases:

• IMF World Economic Outlook (WEO): The IMF WEO database includes historical CPI data plus multi-year forecasts for 190+ countries, updated twice a year (April and October). It's the best source for current-year estimates before final WDI data is published.
• OECD.Stat: The OECD statistics portal covers 38 member countries with higher-frequency (monthly) CPI data and detailed component breakdowns. Better than WDI for OECD-specific analysis.
• FRED (St. Louis Fed): FRED aggregates data from dozens of sources including the BLS, Eurostat, and World Bank into a single searchable database with free API access and chart tools.

Our inflation explorer combines WDI annual data with IMF GEM monthly data so you can see both long-run trends and recent months in one place.