Pakistan’s weekly inflation down 0.64% in first week of Dec

Pakistan’s weekly inflation decreased by 0.64% in the week ending December 4, driven mainly by lower food and fuel 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 4%.

Of the 51 items tracked by the index, prices of 13 items increased, 15 decreased and 23 remained stable.

The biggest week-on-week decrease was recorded in the prices of tomatoes, which fell by 30.11%, followed by onions (12.41%), potatoes (6.92%), chicken (4.46%), sugar (3.31%), diesel (1.67%), gram pulse (1.55%), masoor pulse (1.33%), gur (1%) and petrol (0.73%).

On the other hand, a major increase is observed in the prices of LPG (3.50%), garlic (1.86%), cooking oil 5 liters (1.54%), eggs (0.81%), and bread (0.57%).

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 tacked 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.