The rate your central bank pays, minus the inflation you actually face — the real rate. Below zero, money in the bank quietly shrinks.
Losing to inflation
11 of 43 countries
Worst real rate
Japan -2.2%
Best real rate
Brazil +9.2%
Real rate, worst first policy rate − CPI · prices double in = ln 2 / ln(1 + inflation)
Country Policy Inflation Real rate Prices ×2 in
JPN flag Japan 1.00% +3.2% -2.2% 22 yrs NLD flag Netherlands 2.25% +3.3% -1.0% 22 yrs ROU flag Romania 6.50% +7.2% -0.7% 10.0 yrs NZL flag New Zealand 2.25% +2.8% -0.6% 25 yrs AUT flag Austria 3.00% +3.5% -0.5% 20 yrs ESP flag Spain 2.25% +2.7% -0.4% 26 yrs CHE flag Switzerland 0.00% +0.2% -0.2% >200 yrs GBR flag United Kingdom 3.75% +3.9% -0.1% 18 yrs PRT flag Portugal 2.25% +2.3% -0.1% 30 yrs POL flag Poland 3.75% +3.8% -0.1% 19 yrs DNK flag Denmark 1.85% +1.9% -0.0% 37 yrs DEU flag Germany 2.25% +2.2% +0.1% 32 yrs CAN flag Canada 2.25% +2.1% +0.2% 34 yrs CHL flag Chile 4.50% +4.2% +0.3% 17 yrs KOR flag South Korea 2.50% +2.1% +0.4% 33 yrs USA flag United States 3.63% +2.9% +0.7% 24 yrs ISR flag Israel 3.75% +3.0% +0.7% 23 yrs SWE flag Sweden 1.75% +0.7% +1.1% 102 yrs THA flag Thailand 1.00% -0.1% +1.1% — KWT flag Kuwait 3.50% +2.4% +1.1% 30 yrs NOR flag Norway 4.25% +3.1% +1.2% 23 yrs GRC flag Greece 3.75% +2.5% +1.3% 28 yrs CZE flag Czech Republic 3.75% +2.5% +1.3% 29 yrs FRA flag France 2.25% +0.9% +1.3% 74 yrs MYS flag Malaysia 2.75% +1.4% +1.4% 51 yrs ITA flag Italy 3.00% +1.5% +1.5% 46 yrs AUS flag Australia 4.35% +2.9% +1.5% 24 yrs MAR flag Morocco 2.25% +0.7% +1.5% 99 yrs HUN flag Hungary 6.25% +4.4% +1.8% 16 yrs BEL flag Belgium 4.50% +2.5% +2.0% 28 yrs TUR flag Turkey 37.00% +34.9% +2.1% 2.3 yrs SAU flag Saudi Arabia 4.25% +2.1% +2.2% 34 yrs HKG flag Hong Kong 4.00% +1.4% +2.6% 49 yrs MEX flag Mexico 6.50% +3.8% +2.7% 19 yrs PER flag Peru 4.25% +1.5% +2.7% 46 yrs IDN flag Indonesia 4.75% +1.9% +2.8% 37 yrs IND flag India 5.25% +2.4% +2.9% 29 yrs CHN flag China 3.00% +0.1% +2.9% >200 yrs PHL flag Philippines 4.75% +1.7% +3.1% 42 yrs ZAF flag South Africa 7.00% +3.2% +3.8% 22 yrs RUS flag Russia 14.25% +8.7% +5.5% 8.3 yrs COL flag Colombia 11.25% +5.1% +6.1% 14 yrs BRA flag Brazil 14.25% +5.0% +9.2% 14 yrs Method: central-bank policy rate (BIS, daily) minus the latest annual CPI change (World Bank; annual data lags — the CPI year is the latest available per country). "Prices ×2" is the doubling time at that inflation rate. Bitcoin pays no yield; its supply is fixed by consensus — the comparison savers face is a known negative real rate versus a volatile but undebasable asset.
