Weekly SPI increased by 0.49%

August 21, 2026 (MLN): Pakistan's short-term inflation, measured by the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), increased by 0.49% for the week ended August 20, 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 Onions (14.17%), Petrol (3.77%), Chicken (3.35%), Garlic (2.00%), Pulse Gram (0.93%), Tea Prepared (0.70%), Tea Lipton (0.34%), Milk Fresh (0.17%), Cooked Daal (0.15%), Washing Soap (0.12%), Cigarettes (0.06%) and Shirting (0.01%).

On the other hand, decrease is observed in the prices of Eggs (5.78%), Diesel (5.15%), Tomatoes (4.99%), Potatoes (1.17%), LPG (1.04%), Bananas (0.91%), Pulse Moong (0.56%), Sugar (0.24%) and Pulse Masoor & Pulse Mash (0.14%).

During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 23 (45.10%) items increased, 10 (19.61%) items decreased and 18 (35.29%) items remained stable.

On an annual basis, the SPI showed a year-on-year (YoY) increase of 9.66%.

Major increase is observed in the prices of Onions (132.52%), Tomatoes (93.21%), Wheat Flour (62.25%), LPG (51.69%), Diesel (33.08), Petrol (27.65%), Electricity for Q1 (22.72%), Bananas (17.66%), Chilies Powder (16.37%), Mutton (15.98%), Beef (13.54%) and Bread Plain (9.37%).

However, major decrease is observed in the prices of Potatoes (30.01%), Sugar (19.10%), Chicken (17.68%), Eggs (17.41%), Salt Powder (13.96%), Pulse Gram (13.02%), Pulse Masoor (12.29%) and Gur (6.01%).

The average price of Sona Urea stood at Rs 4,684 per 50 kg bag, which is 0.12% higher from last week’s price, and up 6.39% compared to last year.

Meanwhile, the average Cement price is at Rs1,558 per 50 kg bag, which is 0.19% lower than the previous week, and 10.34% 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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