ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s short-term inflation, measured by the Sensitive Price Index (SPI), posted a marginal weekly increase of 0.02% for the week ended June 6, while slipping by 0.02% on a year-on-year basis, according to the latest data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) on Friday.
Out of the 51 essential commodities tracked by the SPI, prices of 18 items (35.29%) rose, 6 items (11.77%) declined, while 27 items (52.94%) remained unchanged during the review week.
The biggest week-on-week price increases were observed in fresh vegetables and food staples. Tomatoes led the pack with a 16.94% surge, followed by potatoes (11.52%), onions (5.21%), bananas (1.57%), eggs (1.34%), and sugar (1.24%). Prices of various pulses and fresh milk also edged higher. Petrol prices recorded a slight uptick of 0.41% WoW.
On the downside, chicken prices fell sharply by 11.22%, while garlic dropped 3.71%. Modest declines were also recorded in LPG (-0.76%), and edible oils, including vegetable ghee (both 1kg and 2.5kg packs), and cooking oil (5-litre variant).
On a year-on-year basis, the SPI showed a negligible decline of 0.02%. However, some essential goods saw substantial price spikes. Ladies’ sandals soared by 55.62%, eggs by 35.36%, and pulse moong by 31.74%. Other notable annual increases were reported in powdered milk (23.82%), sugar (23.51%), and beef (17.51%).
Conversely, onion prices plunged 64.90% YoY, followed by electricity charges for Q1 (-36.54%), garlic (-27.79%), and potatoes (-23.15%). Wheat flour, diesel, tomatoes, and some pulses also posted year-on-year declines.
By income bracket, the lowest income group experienced a 0.28% WoW increase in prices, while the highest income group saw a 0.05% decline. Over a 12-month period, inflation dropped 0.75% for the lowest income group, but rose by 1.11% for the highest.
In key construction inputs, the average price of Sona urea eased 0.16% from the previous week to Rs4,460 per 50 kg bag—down 6.03% compared to last year. Cement prices slipped 0.40% WoW to Rs1,412 per 50 kg bag, but remained 12.52% higher than a year ago.
The SPI, updated weekly by the PBS, offers a snapshot of short-term inflation trends by tracking prices of key essentials in 50 markets across 17 cities.
