Pakistan’s Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) declined by 0.35% week-on-week (WoW) during the week ended October 29, 2026, providing some relief in essential commodity prices. However, the indicator increased by 11.32% year-on-year (YoY), reflecting continued inflationary pressure, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).
The latest PBS data shows that electricity charges, chicken, eggs, wheat flour and LPG were among the major items that recorded weekly price declines.
Electricity charges for the first quarter registered the largest weekly decrease of 3.92%. Chicken prices fell by 2.95%, while eggs became 2.81% cheaper. Wheat flour prices declined by 0.83%, followed by LPG at 0.73% and bananas at 0.71%.
Prices of IRRI-6/9 rice and pulse masoor decreased by 0.43% each. Petrol prices also dropped by 0.39%, while sugar and powdered milk became cheaper by 0.35% and 0.33%, respectively.
However, several essential commodities recorded price increases during the week. Tomatoes witnessed the highest increase of 34.91%, followed by potatoes at 3.27% and diesel at 2.53%.
Pulse gram prices increased by 2.11%, while plain bread became 1.29% more expensive. Onion prices rose by 0.62%, fresh milk by 0.48% and curd by 0.46%. Vegetable ghee (2.5kg) and firewood prices also increased by 0.29% and 0.20%, respectively.
According to the PBS, prices of 15 out of 51 monitored items increased during the week, while 12 recorded declines. Prices of the remaining 24 items remained unchanged.
On an annual basis, LPG recorded the highest price increase of 106.86%. Electricity charges for the first quarter increased by 52.38%, while diesel and petrol prices rose by 45.13% and 43.61%, respectively.
Wheat flour prices increased by 34.87% year-on-year, while chicken became 31.72% more expensive. Other notable increases included powdered chillies at 15.55%, mutton at 14.66%, plain bread at 12.26% and beef at 12.10%.
Meanwhile, some essential food items recorded significant annual price declines. Potatoes became 38.67% cheaper, followed by tomatoes at 27.99% and eggs at 26.70%. Sugar prices also declined by 25.21%.
Other commodities that recorded annual price reductions included powdered salt at 14.86%, gur at 8.51%, pulse masoor at 8.37% and pulse moong at 6.42%.
The PBS data further shows that the average price of a 50kg bag of Sona Urea remained unchanged at Rs. 4,781 during the week. However, its price was still 9.39% higher than the corresponding period last year.
Meanwhile, the average price of a 50kg cement bag declined by 0.27% week-on-week to Rs. 1,592. Despite the weekly decrease, cement prices remained 14.48% higher compared to the same period last year.
The Sensitive Price Indicator tracks the prices of 51 essential commodities across 50 markets in 17 cities. The PBS calculates the index weekly to monitor short-term inflation trends and assess changes in the cost of essential goods across the country.
