Weekly SPI remains broadly stable

August 28, 2026 (MLN): Pakistan's short-term inflation, measured by the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), increased by 0.05% for the week ended August 27, 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 LPG (3.46%), Diesel (2.44%), Electricity for Q1 (2.06%), Petrol (1.71%), Pulse Gram (0.88%), Wheat Flour (0.39%), Eggs (0.34%), Mustard Oil & Pulse Masoor (0.30%) each, Tea Prepared (0.20%), Pulse Mash (0.17%) and Beef (0.06%).

On the other hand, major decrease is observed in the prices of Tomatoes (18.65%), Chicken (4.41%), Onions (2.87%), Bananas (2.80%), Garlic (1.02%), Rice IRRI-6/9 (0.42%), Rice Basmati Broken (0.41%) and Potatoes (0.39%).

During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 20 (39.22%) items increased, 11 (21.56%) items decreased and 20 (39.22%) items remained stable.

On an annual basis, the SPI showed a year-on-year (YoY) increase of 9.04%.

Major increase is observed in the prices of Onions (125.86%), LPG (55.66%), Wheat Flour (45.28%), Tomatoes (36.69%), Diesel (36.33%), Petrol (29.84%), Electricity for Q1 (25.24%), Chilies Powder (16.37%), Mutton (16.01%), Bananas (14.50%), Beef (13.61%) and Bread Plain (9.37%)

However, major decrease is observed in the prices of Potatoes (31.33%), Chicken (23.87%), Sugar (19.33%), Eggs (17.97%), Salt Powder (13.96%), Pulse Gram (12.01%), Pulse Masoor (11.77%) and Gur (6.21%).

The average price of Sona Urea stood at Rs4,684 per 50kg bag, unchanged from the previous week and up 6.81% compared to the same period last year.

Meanwhile, the average Cement price is at Rs1,549 per 50 kg bag, which is 0.59% lower than the previous week, and 9.88% 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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