Weekly SPI increases by 1.89%

March 12, 2026 (MLN): Pakistan's short-term inflation, measured by the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), increased by 1.89% for the week ended March 11, 2026, according to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

 The data highlights that the major increase is observed in the prices of Petrol (20.60%), Diesel (19.54%), LPG (12.13%), Onions (9.63%), Bananas (1.44%), Wheat Flour (1.28%), Chicken (0.66%), Pulse Mash (0.55%), Firewood (0.38%), Pulse Gram (0.10%), Milk Fresh (0.08%) and Cooked Beef (0.02%).

On the other hand, major decrease is observed in the prices of Tomatoes (3.66%), Potatoes (2.86%), Garlic (0.42%), Rice IRRI-6/9 and Pulse Masoor (0.19%) each, Mustard Oil (0.16%), Pulse Moong (0.12%) and Sugar (0.09%).

During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 14 (27.45%) items increased, 09 (17.65%) items decreased and 28 (54.90%) items remained stable.

On an annual basis, the SPI showed a year-on-year (YoY) increase of 6.44%.

Major increase is observed in the prices of Diesel (29.94%), Gas Charges for Q1 (29.85%), LPG (29.21%), Wheat Flour (27.75%), Petrol (25.75%), Chilies Powder (15.20%), Beef (12.00%), Powdered Milk (10.10%), Mutton (9.61%), Gur (7.10%), Rice Basmati Broken (6.51%) and Cooked Beef (5.17%).

However, major decrease is observed in the prices of Potatoes (51.92%), Chicken (25.92%), Eggs (23.76%), Tomatoes (23.02%), Pulse Gram (19.76%), Garlic (18.25%), Salt Powder (12.52%) and Sugar (12.02%).

The average price of Sona Urea stood at Rs 4,451 per 50 kg bag, which is 0.46% higher from last week’s price, and down 1.65% compared to last year.

Meanwhile, the average Cement price is at Rs1,477 per 50 kg bag, which is 3.42% higher than the previous week, and 10.04% higher than prices last year.

The SPI, which tracks price movements of 51 essential commodities from 50 markets across 17 cities, serves as a key barometer of short-term inflation trends in Pakistan.

The indicator is computed on a weekly basis to assess price movements of essential items at shorter intervals, enabling policymakers to review the country's price situation in near real-time.

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