Weekly SPI increases by 1.16%

February 20, 2026 (MLN): Pakistan's short-term inflation, measured by the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), increased by 1.16% for the week ended February 19, 2026,  according to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

The data highlights that the major increased is observed in the prices of Bananas (16.05%), Electricity Charges for Q1 (15.41%), Garlic (5.86%), Chicken (5.49%), Onions (3.83%), Tomatoes (3.82%), Diesel (2.69%), Petrol (1.93%), Beef (1.03%), LPG (0.75%), Mutton (0.69%) and Long Cloth (0.28%).

On the other hand, major decrease is observed in the prices of Eggs (11.78%), Potatoes (2.24%), Wheat Flour (2.02%), Pulse Masoor (1.47%), Sugar (0.96%), Vegetable Ghee 2.5Kg (0.72%), Pulse Gram (0.58%), Cooking Oil 5 Litre (0.19%), Gur (0.16%), Vegetable Ghee 1Kg (0.11%), Rice IRRI-6/9 (0.08%) and Mustard Oil (0.07%).

During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 17 (33.33%) items increased, 12 (23.53%) items decreased and 22 (43.14%) items remained stable.

On an annual basis, the SPI showed a year-on-year (YoY) increase of 5.19%.

Major increase is observed in the prices of Tomatoes (85.20%), Wheat Flour (31.33%), Gas Charges for Q1 (29.85%), Electricity Charges for Q1 (17.33%), Bananas (15.83%), Chilies Powder (15.20%), Beef (13.28%), LPG (12.22%), Firewood (11.40%), Powdered Milk (9.89%), Shirting (9.11%), Mutton (8.77%) and Gur (8.63%

However, major decrease is observed in the prices of Potatoes (45.43%), Garlic (27.51%), Pulse Gram (23.30%), Chicken (19.36%), Onions (18.10%), Tea Lipton (13.95%), Salt Powder (12.52%), Pulse Masoor (12.33%), Eggs (8.54%), Pulse Mash (5.08%), Mustard Oil (2.13%), Sugar (1.43%) and Pulse Moong (1.40%).

The average price of Sona urea stood at Rs4,436 per 50 kg bag, 285.91% higher from last week’s price, and a 1.84% decrease from last year.

Meanwhile, the average Cement price is at Rs1,426 per 50 kg bag, which is 0.36% higher than the previous week, and 5.2% 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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