Weekly inflation increases by 0.49pc

ISLAMABAD, Aug 21 (APP):The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI)-based weekly inflation increased by 0.49 percent during the week ended on August 20, 2026, for the combined consumption group, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reported on Friday.

According to PBS data, the SPI for the week under review rose to 360.90 points from 359.15 points recorded in the previous week. On a year-on-year basis, the SPI increased by 9.66 percent.

The weekly SPI, with base year 2015-16=100, covers 17 urban centres and 51 essential items for all expenditure groups.

The SPI for the lowest consumption group (up to Rs 17,732) increased by 0.38 percent to 350.03 points from 348.71 points.

Likewise, the SPI for consumption groups of Rs 17,733–22,888, Rs 22,889–29,517, Rs 29,518–44,175 and above Rs 44,175 increased by 0.41 percent, 0.40 percent, 0.45 percent and 0.55 percent, respectively.

During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 23 items (45.10 percent) increased, 10 items (19.61 percent) decreased, while 18 items (35.29 percent) remained unchanged.

On a week-on-week basis, the items that witnessed an increase in prices included onions which rose by 14.17 percent, followed by petrol 3.77 percent, chicken 3.35 percent, garlic 2.00 percent, pulse gram 0.93 percent, tea prepared 0.70 percent, tea Lipton 0.34 percent, milk fresh 0.17 percent, cooked daal 0.15 percent, washing soap 0.12 percent, cigarettes 0.06 percent and shirting 0.01 percent.

On the other hand, the prices of eggs witnessed a decrease of 5.78 percent, followed by diesel 5.15 percent, tomatoes 4.99 percent, potatoes 1.17 percent, LPG 1.04 percent, bananas 0.91 percent, pulse moong 0.56 percent, sugar 0.24 percent, and pulse masoor and pulse mash 0.14 percent each.

On a year-on-year basis, prices of potatoes declined by 30.01 percent, followed by sugar 19.10 percent, chicken 17.68 percent, eggs 17.41 percent, salt powder 13.96 percent, pulse gram 13.02 percent, pulse masoor 12.29 percent and gur 6.01 percent.

Major annual increases were recorded in the prices of onions by 132.52 percent, followed by tomatoes 93.21 percent, wheat flour 62.25 percent, LPG 51.69 percent, diesel 33.08 percent, petrol 27.65 percent, electricity charges for Q1 22.72 percent, bananas 17.66 percent, chilies powder 16.37 percent, mutton 15.98 percent, beef 13.54 percent and plain bread 9.37 percent, according to the PBS.

The commodities that witnessed decrease potatoes (30.01%), sugar (19.10%), chicken (17.68%), eggs (17.41%), salt powder (13.96%), pulse gram (13.02%), pulse masoor (12.29%) and gur (6.01%).