Race to the bottom
Low or negative inflation is spreading
By DATA TEAM
INFLATION rates around the world have been sinking over the last three years. Pervasive economic weakness in the rich world and a slowdown in Chinese growth drove the initial decline. Lately tumbling oil prices have helped to push inflation into negative territory across much of the euro area. America, Britain and China, where inflation rates have dropped below 1%, may soon join Europe in deflation. Falling prices for things like petrol have been "unambiguously good" for consumers, in the words of Mark Carney, the governor of the Bank of England. But broad and persistent deflation is not a healthy thing for a modern economy. It will make big debts harder for households and governments to repay, and it could hinder central banks looking to perk up slumping economies.
Dig deeper:
The Economist explains why deflation is bad
More from Graphic detail
After Dobbs, Americans are turning to permanent contraception
More young women are tying their tubes
Five charts that show why the BJP expects to win India’s election
Narendra Modi’s party is eyeing another big victory
By 2100 half the world’s children will be born in sub-Saharan Africa
Fertility rates are falling faster everywhere else