• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Trending:
  • Kashmir
  • Elections
Saturday, June 6, 2026

Daily Times

Your right to know

  • HOME
  • Latest
  • Iran-Israel war
  • Gilgit Baltistan Election
  • Pakistan
    • Balochistan
    • Gilgit Baltistan
    • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
    • Punjab
    • Sindh
  • World
  • Editorials & Opinions
    • Editorials
    • Op-Eds
    • Commentary / Insight
    • Perspectives
    • Cartoons
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Featured
    • Blogs
      • Pakistan
      • World
      • Lifestyle
      • Culture
      • Sports
  • Business
  • Sports
  • E-PAPER
    • Lahore
    • Islamabad
    • Karachi

Food costs push Pakistan inflation above 4%

Published on: January 24, 2026 11:15 PM

Pakistan’s short-term inflation rose 4.18% year-on-year as food prices kept cost pressures high for households. The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, showed the continued burden on family budgets. On a weekly basis, SPI fell 0.48%, mainly due to cheaper vegetables, LPG, and pulses, but overall costs remain elevated.

Food items accounted for most of the weekly price movements. Vegetables, pulses, edible oils, and staple foods showed significant volatility, while non-food items, particularly energy-related inputs like gas and firewood, added further pressure. Analysts noted these trends signal persistent inflationary risks for urban and rural consumers alike.

Read more: Weekly inflation rises as flour and pulses become costlier

During the week ending January 22, 2026, prices fell for chicken by 16.68%, potatoes 8.52%, onions 7.27%, LPG 3.54%, salt 1.52%, vegetable ghee 0.87%, and cooking oil 0.53%. Meanwhile, prices rose for tomatoes by 9.83%, bananas 3.66%, wheat flour 2.27%, eggs 1.02%, firewood 0.56%, and sugar 0.14%, reflecting localized supply challenges.

Year-on-year, sharp increases were recorded in wheat flour (38.60%), eggs (35.99%), Q1 gas charges (29.85%), beef (12.75%), tomatoes (10.02%), bananas (9.94%), and powdered milk (9.79%). In contrast, potatoes fell 47.26%, garlic 36.28%, onions 35.55%, pulse gram 29.79%, tea 17.79%, chicken 16.79%, and diesel 1.27%, showing mixed inflationary trends across essentials.

Read more: Weekly inflation rises 3.8% amid surge in food and fuel prices

Out of 51 essential items tracked in 50 markets across 17 urban centres, 12 saw price increases, 11 declined, and 28 remained unchanged. Analysts warn that continued fluctuations in food and energy prices could keep household expenses under pressure in the coming months, especially in low- and middle-income segments.

Filed Under: Business Tagged With: food price rise, household cost pressures, Latest, Pakistan inflation January 2026, SPI Pakistan, weekly price index, wheat flour price

Submit a Comment




Primary Sidebar




Latest News

Alexander Zverev eases past Jakub Mensik in French Open semifinals

Taylor to face Pili in Croke Park farewell

FIFA bans vuvuzelas from World Cup stadiums

France brush off Ivory Coast loss, call it timely World Cup reminder

Legendary boxer Muhammad Ali’s 10th death anniversary observed

Pakistan

JAAC declared proscribed party ahead of AJK polls on July 27

Fixed tax scheme for small retailers launched to raise Rs 50bn annually

Govt cuts petrol price by Rs 4 per litre, keeps diesel’s unchanged

Bilawal promises GB voters with land and job rights

Iran declares support for Hezbollah with wider peace deal in doubt

More Posts from this Category

Business

SBP’s ‘Go Cashless’ campaign saw Rs 34bn in digital transactions on Eid

Short-term inflation down by 0.56%

Saudi-Pak Business Council shows interest in infrastructure investment

‘Govt, allies united in efforts to craft people-centric budget’

Rupee records gain against US dollar

More Posts from this Category

World

CENTCOM space post signals wider US military footprint

US official delivers Trump’s “good hello” to Putin

NASA lifts ISS evacuation alert after leak

More Posts from this Category




Footer

Home
Lead Stories
Latest News
Editor’s Picks

Culture
Life & Style
Featured
Videos

Editorials
OP-EDS
Commentary
Advertise

Cartoons
Letters
Blogs
Privacy Policy

Contact
Company’s Financials
Investor Information
Terms & Conditions

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Youtube

© 2026 Daily Times. All rights reserved.

Manage Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
  • Manage options
  • Manage services
  • Manage {vendor_count} vendors
  • Read more about these purposes
View preferences
  • {title}
  • {title}
  • {title}
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.