Inflation by the Decades: 1980s

For the 1980s, we recorded inflation data for 111 countries and territories. In the 1980s, countries in Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa suffered from high inflation. Elevated inflation rates were especially prevalent in developing countries in these regions. 6 of the 10 most inflationary countries in the 1980s were in Latin America. Among these 6 countries, Nicaragua, Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, and Brazil all suffered from hyperinflation. 3 Because of the widespread hyperinflation, the 1980s is sometimes referred to as the “lost decade” in many Latin American countries. Specifically, Nicaragua – the most inflationary country in this decade – saw its prices double about every 165 days on average throughout the entire decade. In addition to hyperinflation in Latin America, Poland and Yugoslavia experienced short hyperinflations near the end of the decade. Throughout the decade, 21 countries had annualized inflation rates of over 20%, and 52 countries had a rate over 10%.