By Moaaz Manzoor

Pakistan’s weekly inflation, measured by the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), increased by 0.46% during the week ended June 18, 2026, driven mainly by sharp increases in the prices of tomatoes, potatoes and chicken, according to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

The SPI, which monitors the prices of 51 essential commodities across 50 markets in 17 urban centres, is used to gauge short-term inflationary trends and the cost of living faced by consumers.

According to PBS, tomato prices recorded the steepest weekly increase, rising 16.65% compared to the previous week. Potato prices increased by 6.82%, while chicken prices rose 5.60%, making them the largest contributors to the weekly rise in inflation.

Among other items, washing soap prices increased by 1.16%, while gur increased by 0.65%. Prices of LPG and mutton each rose by 0.51%, while shirting and long cloth increased by 0.48% and 0.43%, respectively. Egg prices edged up 0.35%, fresh milk 0.29% and curd 0.26%.

The overall increase in weekly inflation was partly offset by declines in several food and fuel items.

Onion prices recorded the largest weekly decrease, falling 2.98%, followed by garlic at 2.51% and bananas at 1.28%. Petrol prices declined by 1.06%, while pulse mash fell by 1.04%. Salt powder prices decreased by 0.95%, pulse moong by 0.61%, wheat flour by 0.53%, and high-speed diesel by 0.51%.

PBS data showed that inflationary pressures remained broad-based during the week. Of the 51 items in the SPI basket, prices for 25 items increased, 11 declined, and 15 remained unchanged.

On a year-on-year basis, weekly inflation rose by 15.28% compared with the corresponding week last year, indicating that food and energy costs continue to put pressure on household budgets.

Among the major contributors to annual inflation, onion prices surged 79.76%, followed by tomatoes at 68.59%. Electricity charges for the first quarter remained 59.40% higher than a year ago, while wheat flour prices increased by 58.72%. LPG prices rose 52.66%, petrol 44.73% and diesel 44.39%. Mutton prices were up 16.30%, chilli powder 15.20%, beef 12.86%, garlic 10.74% and bread 8.67%.

At the same time, several essential commodities remained cheaper than a year earlier. Potato prices declined by 41.09%, followed by eggs at 26.98% and pulse gram at 22.32%. Sugar prices were 17.51% lower compared to the same week last year, while salt powder declined 14.09%, pulse masoor 12.25%, pulse moong 5.48% and chicken 4.24%.

The data also showed differing inflation trends across expenditure groups. Weekly inflation for the lowest expenditure quintile increased by 0.64%, the highest increase among all income groups. The second expenditure group recorded a rise of 0.61%, followed by 0.53% for the third group, 0.51% for the fourth group and 0.39% for the highest expenditure group.

On an annual basis, inflation was 13.30% for the lowest-expenditure group and 14.48% for the highest-expenditure group. The second expenditure group recorded the highest annual inflation of 16.00%, while the third and fourth groups posted annual inflation rates of 14.00% and 13.68%, respectively.

The latest SPI data indicate that food prices remain the principal driver of short-term inflation, with fresh vegetables and poultry exerting upward pressure despite declines in some fuel products and staple food items. Annual inflation also remains elevated, reflecting the continued impact of higher food, energy and household costs on consumers across income groups.

Credit: INP-WealthPk