ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s short-term inflation fell by 0.04% in the week ended October 15, 2026, according to the latest data from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) measures weekly price changes in essential commodities.
During the week, tomatoes recorded the biggest price decline at 23.05%. Onion prices fell by 4.90%, while bananas became cheaper by 2.59%. Meanwhile, petrol prices dropped by 0.70%, broken basmati rice by 0.65%, sugar by 0.62% and gur by 0.36%.
However, several essential items became more expensive. Pulse gram prices rose by 4.97%, followed by wheat flour at 3.36% and chicken at 3.31%. In addition, egg prices increased by 0.99%, pulse mash by 0.98% and pulse masoor by 0.95%. Firewood, shirting, cooked daal, diesel, LPG and prepared tea also recorded price increases.
Overall, prices increased for 23 of the 51 items monitored during the week, accounting for 45.10% of the basket. In contrast, seven items, or 13.72%, became cheaper, while prices of the remaining 21 items, or 41.18%, remained unchanged.
Despite the slight weekly decline, short-term inflation rose by 11.38% year-on-year (YoY).
On an annual basis, onions recorded the largest price increase at 75.19%. LPG prices climbed by 68.95%, while electricity charges for the first quarter rose by 58.59%. Similarly, petrol prices increased by 49.60% and diesel by 43.98%. Wheat flour prices went up by 35.13%, followed by chicken at 20.77%, chilli powder at 15.55%, mutton at 14.90% and beef at 12.27%. Plain bread and prepared tea also became more expensive, rising by 9.02% and 8.36%, respectively.
Conversely, tomatoes recorded the largest annual price decline at 63.65%. Potato prices fell by 39.93%, while sugar prices dropped by 23.20%. Egg prices decreased by 19.83%, followed by powdered salt at 14.86%, pulse masoor at 8.97%, gur at 8.92% and pulse moong at 7.83%.
Meanwhile, the average price of a 50-kilogram bag of Sona urea remained unchanged at Rs. 4,780 compared with the previous week. However, the price stood 9.19% higher than the same period last year.
Cement prices also increased during the week. The average price of a 50-kilogram bag reached Rs. 1,600, marking a 0.27% weekly increase and a 14.66% annual rise.
The SPI tracks price movements of 51 essential commodities across 50 markets in 17 cities. The PBS calculates the indicator weekly to monitor short-term inflation trends and provide policymakers with timely information about changes in the prices of essential goods.
