ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s short-term inflation, measured by the Sensitive Price Index (SPI), rose 1.03% during the week ended May 15, 2025, compared to the previous week, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). On a year-on-year basis, inflation climbed by 1.29%, reflecting modest pressure on consumer prices.
Out of the 51 essential items tracked by the SPI, prices of 18 items (35.29%) increased, 12 items (23.53%) declined, and 21 items (41.18%) remained stable.
Significant week-on-week increases were observed in the prices of chicken (15.95%), eggs (8.34%), sugar (1.97%), long cloth (1.74%), powdered milk (1.59%), gur (1.48%), pulse gram (0.94%), printed lawn fabric (0.77%), mutton (0.62%), cooked beef (0.49%), and energy savers (0.31%).
Conversely, notable price drops were recorded for tomatoes (5.20%), garlic (3.45%), onions (2.57%), potatoes (1.93%), Lipton tea (1.14%), LPG (0.90%), broken basmati rice (0.54%), and vegetable ghee (ranging from 0.23% to 0.38%).
On a yearly basis, items showing the sharpest price increases included ladies’ sandals (55.62%), chicken (47.22%), moong pulse (29.02%), powdered milk (24.02%), sugar (21.87%), bananas (20.80%), and gram pulse (20.74%). Other commodities like beef, vegetable ghee, LPG, lawn fabric, and firewood also witnessed double-digit annual price growth.
However, relief was noted in the form of steep year-on-year declines in onion prices (53.29%), garlic (33.18%), potatoes (29.84%), electricity charges (29.40%), tomatoes (23.61%), and wheat flour (21.02%).
Income group-wise analysis revealed that the lowest income bracket experienced a 0.92% increase in weekly inflation, while the highest income group saw a slightly larger spike of 1.03%. On a yearly basis, SPI for the lowest income group rose by 0.42%, whereas the highest income segment witnessed a 2.23% rise.
PBS compiles the SPI based on the prices of 51 essential items collected from 50 markets across 17 cities. The weekly index is used as a key tool to assess short-term inflation trends and monitor price volatility in the country’s essential commodities.
