Price trends 2000-2025: cheaper tech, but not healthcare

Economist Mark Perry publishes his Chart of the Century twice a year, revealing the price evolution of several essential products and services, from healthcare and mobile phones to clothing and real estate, since 2000 in the United States. Focusing on rising and falling sectors: Based on data from the Bureau of Labor and using reported labor time rather than absolute prices—for a fairer comparison—the latest chart, from December 2025, first indicates that inflation has increased by 92.5% over the past 25 years. Secondly, of the fifteen or so sectors tracked, four have continued to decline since 2000: televisions, toys, software, and mobile phone services. Three have resumed an upward trend in recent years, but remain "more accessible" than they were 25 years ago: furniture/household maintenance, new cars, and food. Finally, there's great sadness for the sectors that continue to rise and are now significantly more expensive than at the beginning of the century, including essential areas like healthcare and education. This is all the more worrying given that most of these services are co-financed by the government in one way or another. And while this diagram focuses on the United States, one can't help but notice a similar trend in France, despite the unique characteristics of our healthcare system. But hey, as long as TVs are cheaper, right?