Consumer Price Index, March 2025
Released: 2025-04-15
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 2.3% year over year in March, following an increase of 2.6% in February.
The year-over-year slowdown in the all-items CPI was driven by lower prices for travel tours and gasoline in March. Excluding gasoline, the CPI rose 2.5% following a 2.6% increase (excluding gasoline) in February.
Moderating the slowdown was the end of the temporary break on the Goods and Services Tax (GST)/Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) on February 15, which put upward pressure on prices for eligible products in March compared with February.
On a monthly basis, the CPI rose 0.3% in March. On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, the CPI was unchanged.
Chart 1
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) slows largely due to lower gasoline prices
Explore the Consumer Price Index tools
Check out Statistics Canada's Food Price Data Hub, which features a variety of food price related statistics, articles and tools.
Check out the Personal Inflation Calculator. This interactive calculator allows you to enter dollar amounts in the common expense categories to produce a personalized inflation rate, which you can compare with the official measure of inflation for the average Canadian household—the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
Browse the Consumer Price Index Data Visualization Tool to access current (Latest Snapshot of the CPI) and historical (Price trends: 1914 to today) CPI data in a customizable visual format.
Chart 2
Price growth slows in four major components
Consumers pay less for travel tours and airfares
Year over year, prices for travel tours declined 4.7% in March after an 18.8% increase in February. On a month-over-month basis, prices for travel tours fell 8.0% in March following a notable increase in February (+23.2%) during President's Day weekend in the United States.
Air transportation prices fell 12.0% year over year in March following a 4.4% decline in February. This was a result of a smaller monthly increase in March 2025 (+1.2%) compared with the monthly increase in March 2024 (+10.0%), coinciding with decreased Canadian air travel to the United States.
Gasoline prices fall year over year
Year over year, consumers paid 1.6% less at the pump in March following a 5.1% increase in February. The decline was largely a result of lower crude oil prices amid concerns of slowing global oil demand and slowing economic growth related to the threat of tariffs. Additionally, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its partners (OPEC+) confirmed a planned increase to production.
Chart 3
Gasoline prices decline year over year in March
Lower prices for cellular services
Prices for cellular services fell 8.8% on a year-over-year basis in March, following a 3.7% decline in February. The larger year-over-year decline was a result of a 6.8% month-over-month decline in March, due to lower prices for cellular phone plans amid industry-wide promotions.
First full month following the GST/HST break
With the end of the federal tax break on February 15, March was the first full month with GST/HST re-applied to the affected products since November 2024, resulting in upward price pressure.
Prices for food purchased from restaurants moderated the slowdown in headline inflation, rising 3.2% year over year in March after a 1.4% decline in February.
Chart 4
Upward price pressure on some products due to the end of GST/HST break mid-February
Chart 5
Restaurant prices rebound in first full month without the GST/HST break
Focus on Canada and the United States
Tariffs affect many facets of the economy, including inflation. The imposition of tariffs by the United States and countermeasure tariffs by the Canadian government can result in varying effects on final consumer prices. Read more about the potential impacts of US tariffs on the Bank of Canada's website.
No special adjustments will be required to the Consumer Price Index for tariffs, as their effect is embedded in the final prices collected.
Statistics Canada will continue to monitor developments on tariffs and the impact on consumer price inflation.
For more data and insights on areas touched by the socio-economic relationship between Canada and the United States, see the Focus on Canada and the United States webpage.
Regional highlights
On a yearly basis, prices rose at a slower pace in eight provinces in March compared with February. Nova Scotia (+2.3%) was the only province with accelerating price growth, due to higher prices for shelter (+4.8%).
Chart 6
The Consumer Price Index rises at a slower pace in eight provinces
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Note to readers
Visit the Consumer Price Index portal to find all Consumer Price Index (CPI) data, publications, interactive tools and announcements highlighting new products and upcoming changes to the CPI in one convenient location.
Upcoming enhancements
With the release of the Consumer Price Index for April on May 20, Statistics Canada will introduce an enhanced methodology for calculating the passenger vehicle and homeowners' home insurance price indexes.
Today, Statistics Canada released the technical paper, "Enhancements to the passenger vehicle and homeowners' home insurance price indexes," describing the new approach.
Real-time data tables
Real-time data table 18-10-0259-01 will be updated on April 28. For more information, consult the document, "Real-time data tables."
Next release
The Consumer Price Index for April will be released on May 20.
Products
The "Consumer Price Index Data Visualization Tool" is available on the Statistics Canada website.
More information on the concepts and use of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) is available in The Canadian Consumer Price Index Reference Paper (62-553-X).
For information on the history of the CPI in Canada, consult the publication Exploring the first century of Canada's Consumer Price Index (62-604-X).
Two videos, "An Overview of Canada's Consumer Price Index (CPI)" and "The Consumer Price Index (CPI) and Your Experience of Price Change," are available on Statistics Canada's YouTube channel.
The podcast ''Eh Sayers Episode 18 - Why Food Inflation Is Such A Hard Nut To Crack'' is also available.
Find out answers to the most common questions posed about the CPI in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
Contact information
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).
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