Banque de France perceived current inflation: mean
Banque de France perceived current inflation: mean stood at 2.53% in Q3 2026, according to Banque de France – Webstat (webstat.banque-france.fr). It is one of the indicators in the Firms' inflation expectations table (Value · Quarterly), with a complete series running from Q4 2021 to Q3 2026. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Firms' inflation expectations table
| Indicator | Q3-2026 | Q2-2026 | Q1-2026 | Q4-2025 | Q3-2025 | Q2-2025 | Q1-2025 | Q4-2024 | Q3-2024 | Q2-2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weighted mean | |||||||||||
| Perceived current inflation | 2.53 | 2.45 | 1.66 | 1.72 | 2.03 | 2.03 | 2.3 | 2.44 | 2.79 | 3.2 | |
| Expected inflation in one year | 2.87 | 2.77 | 2.09 | 1.86 | 2.14 | 1.93 | 2.2 | 2.36 | 2.58 | 2.6 |
Understanding banque de France perceived current inflation: mean
The arithmetic average of business leader responses regarding current inflation rates experienced within their operations forms this specific statistical series. By summing all individual estimates and weighting them by enterprise characteristics, this mean calculation accounts for the full spectrum of perceived price pressures across the survey sample. Unlike the median variant, the mean is sensitive to extreme responses, meaning that a subset of firms experiencing severe cost deviations can pull the aggregate figure upward or downward. This metric encompasses all reporting sectors, reflecting how corporate leadership collectively quantifies the immediate inflationary environment.
Evaluating this mean requires examining the distribution of responses, as a significant gap between the average and the median often signals polarization within the business community. Analysts should track period-on-period movements to gauge the velocity of corporate awareness regarding changing input and output prices. Comparisons with official consumer price indices help identify perceptual gaps between operational business costs and retail price inflation. Observers must remain cautious of outliers that can distort the arithmetic mean during periods of extreme sector-specific volatility.
Frequently asked questions
- How does the perceived current inflation mean differ from the median?
- The mean incorporates the mathematical weight of all extreme responses, whereas the median only reflects the exact middle viewpoint.
- What does a widening gap between the mean and median indicate?
- It suggests that business experiences are polarized, with a minority of firms reporting drastically different inflation rates than the majority.
- Why is the weighted mean useful for studying current inflation?
- It provides an aggregate measure that accounts for the scale of different enterprises while capturing overall intensity rather than just the midpoint.