Weekly inflation drops 0.59%, but year-on-year prices of essentials rise by 4.18%

Weekly inflation, as measured by the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), decreased by 0.59% for the combined consumption group during the week ending November 6, 2025, according to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

The SPI for the week was recorded at 333.55 points, down from 335.53 points the previous week. However, on a year-on-year basis, the SPI saw an increase of 4.18%.

The SPI, which tracks the price changes of 51 essential items across 17 urban centers, indicated varying trends across different consumption groups. The lowest consumption group (up to Rs17,732) saw the most significant decrease, with a drop of 1.04%, bringing it down to 327.73 points from 331.18 points. Other consumption groups, including those with expenditures between Rs17,733 and Rs44,175, experienced declines ranging from 0.44% to 0.93%.

Out of 51 items monitored, 18 (35.29%) saw price increases, 12 (23.53%) had price declines, and 21 (41.18%) remained unchanged. Major price hikes included eggs (2.40%), bananas (2.32%), firewood (1.61%), and diesel (1.12%). Additionally, the prices of beef, tea, petrol, bread, wheat flour, powdered milk, and cooking oil saw moderate increases ranging from 0.21% to 0.93%.

In contrast, prices of key commodities such as tomatoes (37.93%), onions (4.88%), garlic (3.23%), pulse gram (1.58%), chicken (0.68%), sugar (0.64%), gur (0.60%), pulse masoor (0.55%), and LPG (0.15%) dropped during the week.

Looking at year-on-year data, notable increases were seen in items such as ladies sandals (55.62%), sugar (43.67%), and gas charges for Q1 (29.85%). Other essentials that saw significant price hikes over the year included wheat flour (19.50%), gur (18.88%), firewood (14.25%), beef (14.09%), and diesel (9.29%).

Meanwhile, several items saw a decrease in prices on a year-on-year basis, including garlic (-33.54%), pulse gram (-29.82%), electricity charges for Q1 (-26.26%), potatoes (-22.32%), tomatoes (-19.69%), tea (-17.79%), pulse mash (-15.52%), chicken (-15.16%), LPG (-9.14%), and pulse masoor (-4.95%).

This data highlights a mixed inflationary environment in the country, with some essential goods becoming more expensive while others see price reductions.