Pakistan’s weekly inflation down 0.03% in second week of Dec
On a yearly basis, the Sensitive Price Index went up by 3.90%
Business Desk
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The biggest week-on-week decrease was recorded in the prices of tomatoes
Pakistan’s weekly inflation decreased by 0.03% in the week ending December 11, driven mainly by lower food prices, according to official data.
According to the latest Sensitive Price Index (SPI) released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), year-on-year inflation for the week went up by 3.90%.
Of the 51 items tracked by the index, prices of 12 items increased, 10 decreased and 29 remained stable.
The biggest week-on-week decrease was recorded in the prices of tomatoes, which fell by 16.18%, followed by sugar (4.91%), onions (-4.08%), potatoes (1.71%), and bananas (1.01%).
On the other hand, a major increase was observed in the prices of chicken (6.19%), wheat flour (2.88%), eggs (0.93%), and cooking oil 5 liters (0.72%).
The SPI, which tracks the prices of 51 essential commodities from 50 markets across 17 cities, is used as a key gauge of short-term inflation trends.
Pakistan tracks inflation weekly and monthly. The former is called the SPI, while the latter is tracked through the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
In November, the CPI or headline inflation rose to nearly 6.1%, making it the second straight month with inflation over 6%.
The World Bank has warned that flood-related shocks to food supply could push inflation higher than earlier projections, peaking at 7.2% in FY26 before easing to 6.8% in FY27 as food supply constraints resolve, global commodity and energy prices decline, and the exchange rate remains market-determined.
Earlier this week, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said Pakistan’s economic growth outlook has strengthened for 2025 and 2026 as prices of key food items have stabilized after spiking in the months following last year’s floods.
The ADB noted that Pakistan’s government has revised its GDP growth estimate for FY25 to 3%, up from an earlier 2.7% projection. Despite disruptions from the June flooding, the economy expanded 5.7% in the fourth quarter, and large-scale manufacturing has grown robustly in recent months of FY26.
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