ISLAMABAD: Pakistan experienced a significant spike in weekly inflation, with the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) revealing a 15.16% increase year-on-year for the week ending May 7, 2026. The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reported that inflation also climbed by 0.79% compared to the previous week.
The primary factor driving this inflationary trend was soaring fuel prices. Diesel prices jumped by 5.10%, and petrol costs increased by 1.66% during the week. These fuel price hikes contributed substantially to the overall inflation, impacting various sectors.
Food prices also saw notable increases, with chicken prices soaring by 12.82%, and wheat flour prices rising by 3.42%. Other essential food items such as curd, fresh milk, beef, prepared tea, mutton, and potatoes also experienced upward price movements.
The SPI, which tracks short-term price fluctuations of 51 vital commodities across 50 markets in 17 cities, showed that 22 items became more expensive this week, while 14 saw price reductions, and 15 remained unchanged.
Notably, some commodities experienced price declines: tomato prices fell by 7.08%, garlic by 1.19%, and eggs by 1.22%. Additionally, prices of LPG, pulse masoor, onions, pulse gram, rice 6/9, and gur decreased.
On the annual comparison, fuel and utility prices registered sharp increases. Petrol prices surged by 58.32%, diesel by 55.76%, and electricity charges for the first quarter rose by 52.58%. Wheat flour costs increased by 50.65%, and LPG prices jumped by 48.82% year-on-year.
However, certain food items experienced significant price drops over the year. Potato prices declined by 44.58%, pulse gram by 20.29%, along with decreases in sugar, salt powder, pulse masoor, eggs, chicken, and pulse moong.
The overall data indicates a mixed but predominantly inflationary environment driven mainly by fuel and utility cost hikes, impacting consumers across Pakistan.
