The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI)-based weekly inflation increased by 0.91 percent during the week ended on July 23, 2026, for the combined consumption group, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reported on Friday.
According to PBS data, the SPI for the week under review rose to 360.88 points from 357.61 points recorded in the previous week. On a year-on-year basis, the SPI increased by 9.66 percent. The weekly SPI, with base year 2015-16=100, covers 17 urban centres and 51 essential items for all expenditure groups. The SPI for the lowest consumption group (up to Rs 17,732) increased by 0.87 percent to 349.80 points from 346.78 points.
Likewise, the SPI for consumption groups of Rs 17,733-22,888, Rs 22,889-29,517, Rs 29,518-44,175 and above Rs 44,175 increased by 0.89 percent, 0.80 percent, 0.86 percent and 0.98 percent, respectively. During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 22 items (43.14 percent) increased, eight items (15.68 percent) decreased, while 21 items (41.18 percent) remained unchanged.
On a week-on-week basis, the prices of tomatoes witnessed the sharpest increase of 39.92 percent, followed by diesel 15.87 percent, eggs 7.31 percent, petrol 5.23 percent, potatoes 3.70 percent, LPG 0.91 percent, cooked daal 0.72 percent, Tea Lipton 0.59 percent, mustard oil 0.45 percent, garlic 0.41 percent, cooked beef 0.36 percent and washing soap 0.21 percent. On the other hand, prices of chicken declined by 4.66 percent, followed by bananas 1.72 percent, pulse moong 1.08 percent, pulse mash 1.07 percent, Rice IRRI-6/9 0.52 percent, pulse masoor 0.40 percent, sugar 0.09 percent and pulse gram 0.03 percent.
On a year-on-year basis, prices of potatoes declined by 32.69 percent, followed by pulse gram 21.48 percent, sugar 17.67 percent, salt powder 14.09 percent, chicken 13.73 percent, pulse masoor 13.55 percent, eggs 9.59 percent and pulse moong 8.67 percent over the corresponding week of last year.
Major annual increases were recorded in the prices of tomatoes by 253.04 percent, followed by onions 81.55 percent, wheat flour 74.13 percent, LPG 46.87 percent, diesel 31.92 percent, electricity charges for Q1 22.79 percent, petrol 20.32 percent, mutton 16.02 percent, chilies powder 15.20 percent, beef 13.09 percent, bananas 12.06 percent and bread 9.69 percent, according to the PBS.