🇬🇧 GBP vs 🇺🇸 USD: Currency Strength Comparison
Data updated: November 6, 2026
On November 6, 2026, one British Pound bought 1.3385 USD at the official reference rate, so per unit the British Pound is worth more. A higher unit value only reflects how each currency is denominated, not which one is gaining: over the past 12 months GBP strengthened by 2.2% against USD, so on momentum the British Pound (GBP) is the stronger of the two.
Adjusted for consumer-price inflation in both economies, GBP gained 2.7% in real terms against USD over the same period.
GBP relative to USD
Positive values mean GBP strengthened against USD.
GBP vs USD over the last three years
GBP against USD, index 100 on November 6, 2023. A rising line means GBP gained on USD. Dashed: the same, adjusted for consumer-price inflation in both economies. Green dot: 3-year high, red: 3-year low.
- 3-year high: 111.4 on January 29, 2026, when GBP was at its strongest against USD in the period.
- 3-year low: 97.7 on January 13, 2025.
- Now: 108.0, 3.1% below the high and 10.5% above the low.
- Sharpest one-month move: GBP rose 4.7% against USD between April 9, 2025 and April 29, 2025, around the time of “BoE cuts to 4.25% in split vote” (🇬🇧 May 7, 2025).
What moved GBP and USD
- · 🇺🇸 Senate confirms Warsh as Fed chair — Kevin Warsh is confirmed in the closest Fed chair vote in modern history, succeeding Powell
- · 🇺🇸 Supreme Court strikes down IEEPA tariffs — The Court rules 6-3 that Trump's emergency-powers tariffs exceeded presidential authority
- · 🇬🇧 Reeves delivers Autumn Budget — Chancellor Rachel Reeves raises taxes and extends threshold freezes, easing gilt-market fears
- · 🇺🇸 Fed resumes cutting to 4.00-4.25% — The FOMC restarts its easing cycle after holding rates since December 2024
- · 🇺🇸 Moody's strips US of AAA rating — Moody's downgrades US sovereign debt, citing rising debt and interest costs
- · 🇺🇸 US-China agree 90-day tariff truce — Washington and Beijing sharply cut tit-for-tat tariffs after talks in Geneva
Major central-bank decisions, elections and shocks for the two currencies since November 6, 2023. The interactive chart marks them on the line.
Performance against 15 major currencies
| Currency | 12-month change vs basket | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 🇬🇧 British Pound (GBP) | +3.5% | #4 of 16 |
| 🇺🇸 US Dollar (USD) | +1.1% | #6 of 16 |
Open the interactive GBP/USD chart →
How this comparison works
Each currency's strength index starts at 100 and accumulates its daily change against 15 other major currencies (a geometric mean of pairwise exchange-rate moves), using European Central Bank reference rates and other official sources. The relative figures above divide GBP's index by USD's, so they reflect the two currencies' performance against each other while accounting for the whole basket. The real variant additionally adjusts each currency for its domestic CPI inflation.
Read the full methodology →Frequently asked questions
Is GBP stronger than USD right now?
It depends on the question. Per unit, 1 GBP = 1.3385 USD (reference rate, November 6, 2026), so the British Pound is worth more. As for which one is gaining, over the past 12 months GBP strengthened by 2.2% against USD, so on momentum the British Pound (GBP) is the stronger of the two.
How do GBP and USD perform against other major currencies?
Against a basket of 15 major currencies over the past 12 months, GBP ranks #4 of 16 (+3.5%) while USD ranks #6 (+1.1%).
What does the GBP vs USD strength comparison show?
Rather than a single exchange rate, this page compares how each currency performed against a basket of 15 major currencies, then derives their relative strength. It filters out moves caused by the other currency alone and shows who is truly stronger.
How often is the data updated?
Every trading day (Monday to Friday), after the European Central Bank publishes its reference rates, usually around 16:00 CET.