Weekly inflation edges up 0.21%

March 19, 2026 (MLN): Pakistan's Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) rose by 0.21% in the week ended March 18, 2026, according to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

The weekly SPI, which tracks price movements of 51 essential commodities across 50 markets in 17 cities, showed tomatoes registering the sharpest single-item jump of the week at 24.85%, followed by a notable 7.33% rise in the price of live farm broiler chicken.

Bread prices climbed 1.08%, while energy savers, cooked daal, mustard oil, and cigarettes also posted moderate increases.

Among non-food items, firewood rose 0.36% and the synthetic fabric Georgette climbed 0.39%.

On the other side of the ledger, garlic prices fell the most steeply, dropping 4.76% over the week.

LPG cylinder prices declined 2.67%, onions eased by 2.52%, and wheat flour, a staple for millions of households, fell 1.05%.

Sugar, gur, bananas, and pulse masoor also registered modest declines, offering some breathing room for low-income families.

Out of the 51 items tracked, prices of 18 items rose, nine fell, and 24 remained unchanged during the week.

The broader year-on-year picture, however, paints a more concerning story. Compared to the corresponding week of last year, the combined SPI has risen by 7.04%.

Energy costs have borne the brunt of that annual inflation, with diesel prices surging 29.94%, gas charges for the lowest consumption quintile rising 29.85%, petrol up 25.75%, and LPG up 23.86%.

Among food items, wheat flour has climbed 26.46% over the year, chilies powder 15.20%, beef 11.72%, powdered milk 10.10%, and mutton 9.61% on an annual basis.

Despite these pressures, some commodities have provided significant year-on-year relief.

Potato prices have plunged 50.52% compared to the same week last year, while chicken is down 20.03%, eggs have fallen 19.81%, pulse gram is cheaper by 18.55%, and garlic has dropped 17.53% annually.

Sugar and pulse masoor also recorded double-digit year-on-year declines.

The data broken down by consumption quintiles shows that the weekly price increase was broadly felt across all income groups, ranging from 0.18% for the lowest quintile to 0.22% for the fourth quintile.

However, the year-on-year burden has been most severe for the second quintile, households earning between Rs. 17,733 and Rs. 22,888 per month, which recorded an annual SPI increase of 7.38%, compared to 5.77% for the poorest households in the lowest quintile.

The average price of Sona Urea stood at Rs 4,451 per 50 kg bag, which remains constant from last week’s price, and down 1.37% compared to last year.

Meanwhile, the average Cement price is at Rs1,473 per 50 kg bag, which is 0.24% lower than the previous week, and 6.77% higher than prices last year.

The combined SPI index now stands at 342.13 on a base of 2015-16=100, up from 341.42 the previous week and 319.62 during the corresponding week of last year.

This reflects the persistent inflationary pressures that Pakistani households have been navigating over the past year.

The PBS will release the next weekly SPI report following the close of the week ending March 25, 2026.

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