Skip to content
Wealth.cat

    Real return calculator: your return after inflation

    See what an investment or savings rate earns after inflation, with the latest World Bank inflation figure for your country pre-filled.

    World Bank, consumer price inflation in Nigeria in 2025. Past inflation is not a forecast — change it to your own estimate.

    Real return per year (after inflation)
    -8.95%
    Value after 10 years
    31,058.48
    The same in today’s money
    3,915.4
    Cash kept at home, in today’s money
    1,260.65

    Real return = (1 + return) ÷ (1 + inflation) − 1, not the simple difference. Taxes and fees are not included.

    How it works

    Inflation lowers what money can buy, so a return only adds to your wealth if it beats inflation. The real return is (1 + return) ÷ (1 + inflation) − 1 — not the simple difference. Example: a 12% return with 20% inflation is a real return of about −6.7% a year: the balance grows, but it buys less every year.

    The calculator also shows what the final amount is worth in today’s money and what the same amount kept as cash would still buy.

    Where the inflation figure comes from

    Choosing a country fills in its latest annual consumer price inflation from the World Bank’s World Development Indicators (FP.CPI.TOTL.ZG, licensed CC BY 4.0). It is last year’s figure, not a forecast: replace it with your own estimate for the years ahead.

    Limits

    Taxes, fees and currency moves are not included. If you invest in another currency, its exchange rate against your own currency can change your real return more than inflation does.

    Updated October 18, 2026