How it works
Inflation is the rise in prices over time. When prices go up, the same amount of money buys less.
Today to the future grows prices by one yearly rate, compounded: the same things cost more each year, and money kept as cash buys less by the same factor. By default it uses the UAE’s average inflation over the last 10 years, 1.24% a year for 2016–2025, or you can pick 3% or your own rate.
Past to today chains the UAE’s actual inflation for every year between the two years you pick, so it shows what prices really did.
Data: World Bank, UAE consumer price inflation (annual %), latest year 2025; years up to 2007 from the IMF World Economic Outlook. It is refreshed with every update of the site.
Examples
At 3% a year, 10,000 AED kept as cash for 20 years buys what about 5,537 AED buys today; the same things will cost about 18,061 AED. Looking back, what cost 10,000 AED in the UAE in 2010 cost about 12,374 AED in 2025.
Questions
What is the inflation rate in the UAE?
From 2016 to 2025, consumer prices in the UAE rose by 1.24% a year on average (compounded). In 2025, the latest year with data, inflation was 1.25%.
Why is 3% the recommended rate?
3% a year is a common long-term planning assumption. It sits above the UAE’s recent average, so plans based on it lean to the careful side rather than the optimistic one.
Can inflation be negative?
Yes. That’s deflation: prices fall and money buys more. The UAE had it in 2019 (-1.93%) and 2020 (-2.08%).
How do I keep my money’s value?
Money kept as cash loses value whenever prices rise. Savings or investments that grow faster than inflation keep their buying power. To see how growth adds up, try the compound interest calculator.