Weekly SPI decreases by 0.69%

April 17, 2026 (MLN): Pakistan's short-term inflation, measured by the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), decreased by 0.69% for the week ended April 16, 2026, according to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

The data highlights that the major decrease is observed in the prices of Diesel (25.77%), Chicken (10.07%), Onions (6.63%), LPG (4.15%), Wheat Flour (3.34%), Petrol (3.10%), Bananas (2.78%), Garlic (1.29%), Mustard Oil (0.80%), Pulse Mash (0.74%), Firewood (0.58%) and Potatoes (0.56%).

On the other hand, major increase is observed in the prices of Tomatoes (6.27%), Bread (3.27%), Eggs (2.09%), Milk Fresh (1.15%), Lawn Printed (1.06%), Washing Soap (0.66%), Long Cloth (0.52%), Curd (0.46%), Shirting & Mutton (0.21%) each, Powdered Milk (0.16%) and Vegetable Ghee 2.5 kg (0.07%).

During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 17 (33.33%) items increased, 17 (33.33%) items decreased and 17 (33.33%) items remained stable

On an annual basis, the SPI showed a year-on-year (YoY) increase of 12.16%.

Major increase is observed in the prices of Tomatoes (69.35%), LPG (60.40%), Diesel (49.22%), Petrol (44.10%), Onions (42.67%), Gas Charges for Q1 (29.85%), Wheat Flour (28.80%), Chilies Powder (15.20%), Mutton (14.67%), Beef (13.27%), Powdered Milk (10.41%) and Garlic (9.51%).

However, major decrease is observed in the prices of Potatoes (45.43%), Pulse Gram (20.00%), Salt Powder (12.78%), Sugar (11.65%), Pulse Masoor (11.63%), Chicken (8.69%) and Pulse Moong (1.87%).

The average price of Sona Urea stood at Rs 4,531 per 50 kg bag, which is 0.17% higher from last week’s price, and up 1.06% compared to last year.

Meanwhile, the average Cement price is at Rs1,546 per 50 kg bag, which is 0.53% lower than the previous week, and 9.65% 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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