Weekly inflation recorded a modest uptick during the week ended December 18, 2025, as higher food prices, particularly chicken and eggs, outweighed declines in vegetables and fuel, according to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).
The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), which tracks prices of 51 essential items across 50 markets in 17 cities, rose by 0.24% on a week-on-week basis. On a year-on-year basis, SPI inflation stood at 3.75%, continuing a gradual easing trend seen over recent weeks.
On a weekly basis, price pressures were most visible in poultry and kitchen staples. Chicken prices surged by 11.11%, followed by chilies powder at 3.08% and eggs at 2.88%. Other notable increases were recorded in shirting (1.64%), firewood (0.86%), cooking oil (0.32%), pulse moong (0.31%), energy savers (0.31%), mustard oil (0.25%), and beef (0.23%).
These increases were partly offset by sharp declines in perishable food items. Tomato prices fell by 11.38%, potatoes by 8.39%, sugar by 4.52%, onions by 3.52%, and diesel by 5%. Prices of pulse mash, garlic, salt powder, gur, and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) also declined during the week.
Out of the 51 items monitored, prices of 17 items increased, 14 items decreased, while prices of 20 items remained unchanged, reflecting a mixed inflationary pattern.
Across income groups, weekly inflation remained contained but showed a gradual increase with higher spending brackets. SPI inflation rose by 0.07% for the lowest income quintile (Q1), 0.14% for Q2, 0.18% for Q3, 0.24% for Q4, and 0.28% for the highest income group (Q5), indicating relatively higher price pressures for upper-income households.
On a year-on-year basis, the largest price increases were recorded in gas charges for the lowest income group (29.85%), sugar (24.10%), wheat flour (22.52%), chicken (20.78%), beef (13.66%), gur (13.43%), firewood (12.08%), powdered milk (9.50%), eggs (8.75%), lawn printed fabric (8.29%), and shirting (8.07%). Bananas also recorded a year-on-year increase of 7.83%.
In contrast, substantial year-on-year declines were observed in tomatoes (66.49%), potatoes (45.31%), garlic (39.10%), onions (29.77%), pulse gram (28.95%), tea (17.79%), pulse mash (14.23%), electricity charges for the lowest income group (8.40%), salt powder (6.14%), and LPG (0.15%).
PBS data shows that weekly inflation has remained relatively stable over the past ten weeks, with combined SPI inflation easing from above 5% year-on-year in October to 3.75% in the latest reading, suggesting that food supply conditions—particularly vegetables—continue to play a key role in shaping short-term inflation dynamics.
