Chocolate prices in the UK have surged by nearly half in just three years, according to recent figures, significantly impacting the cost of popular products such as Easter eggs, chocolate bars and cocoa powder. The sharp rise is largely attributed to extreme weather affecting cocoa-producing nations in West Africa, from where the majority of the UK’s cocoa is imported. Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), analysed by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), shows that chocolate inflation rose from 9.8% around Easter 2023 to 13.6% by Easter 2024.
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This trend is not only reflected in the year-on-year rise in prices but also in product size reduction – a phenomenon consumer group Which? labelled “Chocflation”. Their tracking found chocolate prices rose by 16.5% in the last year alone, far outpacing the 4.4% increase in average supermarket food and drink prices. From March 2022 to March 2024, chocolate inflation reached a cumulative 43%, coinciding with increasingly volatile weather patterns in cocoa-growing regions.
The ECIU attributed the increase in prices to climate change, which has intensified weather extremes in Ivory Coast and Ghana – countries that together supply over half of the world’s cocoa. Analyst Amber Sawyer warned that such extremes will continue to worsen without significant emissions reductions: “Chocolate is just one of many foods being affected. Farmers abroad are battling heatwaves and flooding, while here in the UK, severe storms last year led to one of the worst harvests on record.” She emphasised the need for increased support, both for domestic farmers and through international climate finance.
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ECIU’s latest research reveals that UK imports of cocoa beans have declined by 10% since 2022, while the cost per kilogram has risen by 32%. Ivory Coast remained the UK’s largest supplier in 2024, accounting for 84% of cocoa imports worth £135 million. In 2023, the region experienced rainfall levels more than double the 30-year seasonal average, followed by drought and extreme heat in 2024. Scientists from World Weather Attribution have linked these patterns to climate change, noting last year’s Easter heatwave was 4°C hotter and ten times more likely due to global warming – a pattern that continues to affect global food prices.
