Pakistan’s short-term inflation declined by 0.04% in the week ended October 15, 2026, while year-on-year inflation remained elevated at 11.38%, according to the latest data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).
The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), which tracks weekly price movements of essential commodities, showed mixed trends during the reporting week, with prices of several food items falling while flour, chicken and pulses became more expensive.
Tomatoes recorded the sharpest weekly decline, falling by 23.05%. Onion prices dropped by 4.90%, followed by bananas at 2.59%. Petrol prices decreased by 0.70%, while broken basmati rice, sugar and gur recorded declines of 0.65%, 0.62% and 0.36%, respectively.
However, prices of pulse gram rose by 4.97%, while wheat flour became 3.36% more expensive and chicken prices increased by 3.31%. Egg prices climbed by 0.99%, followed by pulse mash at 0.98% and pulse masoor at 0.95%. Firewood, shirting, cooked daal, diesel, LPG and prepared tea also recorded price increases.
According to the PBS, prices increased for 23 of the 51 items monitored during the week, representing 45.10% of the basket. Seven items, or 13.72%, became cheaper, while prices of 21 items, accounting for 41.18%, remained unchanged.
Despite the slight weekly decline, several essential commodities recorded substantial annual price increases. Onions became 75.19% more expensive compared with the same period last year, while LPG prices rose by 68.95% and electricity charges for the first quarter increased by 58.59%.
Petrol prices climbed by 49.60% year-on-year, while diesel prices increased by 43.98%. Wheat flour prices rose by 35.13%, followed by chicken at 20.77%, chilli powder at 15.55%, mutton at 14.90% and beef at 12.27%.
In contrast, tomatoes recorded the largest annual price decline at 63.65%. Potato prices fell by 39.93%, while sugar became 23.20% cheaper. Egg prices decreased by 19.83%, and powdered salt recorded a decline of 14.86%.
Meanwhile, the average price of a 50-kilogram bag of Sona urea remained unchanged at Rs. 4,780 during the week, although it was 9.19% higher than a year earlier.
Cement prices also increased, with the average cost of a 50-kilogram bag reaching Rs. 1,600. This represented a weekly increase of 0.27% and an annual rise of 14.66%.
The PBS calculates the SPI weekly by monitoring 51 essential commodities across 50 markets in 17 cities. The indicator provides an overview of short-term price movements and helps policymakers assess changes in the cost of essential goods.