ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s short-term inflation, as measured by the Sensitive Price Index (SPI), saw a notable decrease of 1.97% on a year-on-year basis for the week ending March 13, 2025, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).
This represents the lowest inflation rate recorded since the available data was first compiled, as reported by brokerage firm Arif Habib Limited (AHL).
The decline in the annual inflation rate was primarily driven by significant drops in the prices of key items, including Onions (-72.32%), Tomatoes (-51.96%), Wheat Flour (-36.20%), Chilies Powder (-20.00%), and various energy costs such as Electricity Charges for the first quarter (-18.92%). Other notable decreases included Tea Lipton (-15.89%), Pulse Mash (-14.98%), Pulse Masoor (-12.38%), Diesel (-9.91%), Petrol (-8.55%), and LPG (-5.35%).
However, on a week-on-week basis, SPI-based inflation rose by 0.22%, due to increases in the prices of certain items such as Tomatoes (+36.43%), Chicken (+6.40%), Bananas (+6.05%), Sugar (+5.69%), and LPG (+1.44%). Other items that saw price hikes included Georgette & Gur (+1.32%), Bread (+1.13%), Beef (+0.57%), Pulse Moong (+0.28%), and Cigarettes (+0.27%).
Of the 51 items tracked during the week, 12 (23.53%) saw price increases, 15 (29.41%) saw price reductions, and 24 (47.06%) remained stable.
