ISLAMABAD: The inflation rate increased by 1.61 per cent in October as compared to same month of last year.
On month-on-month basis, the Consumer Price Index (CPI)-measured inflation increased by 0.49 percent in October as compared to the previous month.
Addressing a press briefing Monday, Price Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) Director Shaukat Zaman said that the average inflation rate during July-October 2015-16 over same period of last year increased by 1.65 percent. He said the Sensitive Price Index (SPI) and Wholesale Price Index (WPI) inflation also increased by 1.18 percent and 0.53 percent respectively.
Giving detail of CPI by group of commodities and services, Shaukat Zaman said that in October, prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages decreased by 0.42 percent increased by 1.61 percent over same period of last year. Likewise, non-perishable food items’ price increased by 0.24 percent while that of perishable food items decreased by 3.77 percent.
The prices of alcoholic beverages and tobacco, clothing and footwear, housing water, electricity, gas and other fuels, furnishing and household equipment maintenance also increased by 16.26 percent, 5.11 percent. 5.32 percent and 3.82 percent. Transport services’ price, however witnessed decrease of 14.18 percent in October over same period of last month.
The prices of health, communication, recreation and culture, education, restaurant and hotel increased by 2.7 percent, 0.39 percent, 2.2 percent, 8.75 percent, 4.33 percent and 2.46 percent respectively.
During the month of October, 2015 over October, 2014, the trimmed core inflation has been observed as 2.8 percent while it was 6 percent during October 2014 over same month of 2013. Similarly the non-food and non-energy core inflation has been observed as 3.4 percent during the period under review while it was 7.8 percent during October 2014 over October 2013.
