Value of £1 from 1810 to 1968
£1 in 1810 is equivalent in purchasing power to about £4.53 in 1968, an increase of £3.53 over 158 years. The pound had an average inflation rate of 0.96% per year between 1810 and 1968, producing a cumulative price increase of 352.78%.
This means that prices in 1968 are 4.53 times as high as average prices since 1810, according to the Office for National Statistics composite price index.
The inflation rate in 1810 was 2.86%. The inflation rate in 1968 was 4.65%. The 1968 inflation rate is lower compared to the average inflation rate of 5.59% per year between 1968 and 2025.
⌃
| Cumulative price change | 352.78% |
| Average inflation rate | 0.96% |
| Converted amount £1 base | £4.53 |
| Price difference £1 base | £3.53 |
| CPI in 1810 | 14.400 |
| CPI in 1968 | 65.200 |
| Inflation in 1810 | 2.86% |
| Inflation in 1968 | 4.65% |
| £1 in 1810 | £4.53 in 1968 |
Buying power of £1 in 1810
This chart shows a calculation of buying power equivalence for £1 in 1810 (price index tracking began in 1750).
For example, if you started with £1, you would need to end with £4.53 in order to "adjust" for inflation (sometimes refered to as "beating inflation").
When £1 is equivalent to £4.53 over time, that means that the "real value" of a single U.K. pound decreases over time. In other words, a pound will pay for fewer items at the store.
This effect explains how inflation erodes the value of a pound over time. By calculating the value in 1810 dollars, the chart below shows how £1 is worth less over 158 years.
According to the Office for National Statistics, each of these GBP amounts below is equal in terms of what it could buy at the time:
This conversion table shows various other 1810 amounts in 1968 pounds, based on the 352.78% change in prices:
| Initial value | Equivalent value |
|---|---|
| £1 pound in 1810 | £4.53 pounds in 1968 |
| £5 pounds in 1810 | £22.64 pounds in 1968 |
| £10 pounds in 1810 | £45.28 pounds in 1968 |
| £50 pounds in 1810 | £226.39 pounds in 1968 |
| £100 pounds in 1810 | £452.78 pounds in 1968 |
| £500 pounds in 1810 | £2,263.89 pounds in 1968 |
| £1,000 pounds in 1810 | £4,527.78 pounds in 1968 |
| £5,000 pounds in 1810 | £22,638.89 pounds in 1968 |
| £10,000 pounds in 1810 | £45,277.78 pounds in 1968 |
| £50,000 pounds in 1810 | £226,388.89 pounds in 1968 |
| £100,000 pounds in 1810 | £452,777.78 pounds in 1968 |
| £500,000 pounds in 1810 | £2,263,888.89 pounds in 1968 |
| £1,000,000 pounds in 1810 | £4,527,777.78 pounds in 1968 |
How to calculate inflation rate for £1, 1810 to 1968
Our calculations use the following inflation rate formula to calculate the change in value between 1810 and 1968:
CPI in 1968 CPI in 1810
×
1810 GBP value
=
1968 GBP value
Then plug in historical CPI values. The U.K. CPI was 14.4 in the year 1810 and 65.2 in 1968:
65.214.4
×
£1
=
£4.53
£1 in 1810 has the same "purchasing power" or "buying power" as £4.53 in 1968.
To get the total inflation rate for the 158 years between 1810 and 1968, we use the following formula:
CPI in 1968 - CPI in 1810CPI in 1810
×
100
=
Cumulative inflation rate (158 years)
Plugging in the values to this equation, we get:
65.2 - 14.414.4
×
100
=
353%
Data source & citation
Raw data for these calculations comes from the composite price index published by the UK Office for National Statistics (ONS). A composite index is created by combining price data from several different published sources, both official and unofficial. The Consumer Price Index, normally used to compute inflation, has only been tracked since 1988. All inflation calculations after 1988 use the Office for National Statistics' Consumer Price Index, except for the current year, which is based on The Bank of England's forecast.
You may use the following MLA citation for this page: “£1 in 1810 → 1968 | UK Inflation Calculator.” Official Inflation Data, Alioth Finance, 23 Dec. 2025, https://www.officialdata.org/uk/inflation/1810?amount=1&endYear=1968.
Special thanks to QuickChart for their chart image API, which is used for chart downloads.
| Cumulative price change | 352.78% |
| Average inflation rate | 0.96% |
| Converted amount £1 base | £4.53 |
| Price difference £1 base | £3.53 |
| CPI in 1810 | 14.400 |
| CPI in 1968 | 65.200 |
| Inflation in 1810 | 2.86% |
| Inflation in 1968 | 4.65% |
| £1 in 1810 | £4.53 in 1968 |