SLAMABAD, Pakistan – Pakistan’s Sensitive Price Index (SPI)-based inflation saw a marginal increase of 0.38% for the week ending December 19, 2024, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). This rise is primarily attributed to price hikes in essential food items and fuel.
Key Drivers of Weekly Inflation
Several commodities experienced notable price increases during the week:
- Tomatoes: A significant surge of 56.66% in tomato prices was the primary driver of the weekly inflation.
- Firewood: Firewood prices rose by 1.57%.
- Cooking Oil and Vegetable Ghee: Cooking oil (5 liters) saw a 0.79% increase, while vegetable ghee (2.5 kg) rose by 0.95%.
- Sugar: Sugar prices also edged up by 0.23%.
Year-on-Year Inflationary Trends
The year-on-year (YoY) inflation rate stands at 4.64%. This reflects price increases across a broader range of goods and services over the past year.
Significant YoY Price Increases:
- Tomatoes: 95.54%
- Ladies’ Sandals: 75.09%
- Pulse Gram: 56.75%
- Potatoes: 50.81%
- Pulse Moong: 34.88%
- Powdered Milk: 25.62%
- Beef: 23.84%
- Garlic: 17.13%
- Gas Charges (Q1): 15.52%
- Cooked Daal: 15.08%
- Shirting: 14.36%
- Firewood: 12.43%
Significant YoY Price Decreases:
- Wheat Flour: 36.15%
- Chilies Powder: 20.00%
- Onions: 13.74%
- Eggs: 12.98%
- Pulse Masoor: 10.64%
- Rice Basmati Broken: 7.62%
- Diesel: 7.49%
- Electricity Charges (Q1): 6.96%
- Bread: 6.01%
- Petrol: 5.64%
- Sugar: 5.20%
Analysis of Price Changes
Out of the 51 items tracked by the SPI:
- 15 items (29.41%) experienced price increases.
- 13 items (25.49%) experienced price decreases.
- 23 items (45.10%) remained stable.
SPI Value and Income Group Impact
The SPI for the week reached 324.38 points, compared to 323.14 points in the previous week. The impact of the inflation varied across different income groups:
| Income Group (PKR) | SPI Increase |
|---|---|
| Up to 17,732 | 0.68% |
| 17,732-22,888 | 0.60% |
| 22,889-29,517 | 0.46% |
| 29,518-44,175 | 0.41% |
| Above 44,175 | 0.30% |
2.0 Flash Experimental. Might not work as expected.
Pakistan’s Weekly Inflation Sees Slight Uptick
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – Pakistan’s Sensitive Price Index (SPI)-based inflation saw a marginal increase of 0.38% for the week ending December 19, 2024, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). This rise is primarily attributed to price hikes in essential food items and fuel.
Key Drivers of Weekly Inflation
Several commodities experienced notable price increases during the week:
- Tomatoes: A significant surge of 56.66% in tomato prices was the primary driver of the weekly inflation.
- Firewood: Firewood prices rose by 1.57%.
- Cooking Oil and Vegetable Ghee: Cooking oil (5 liters) saw a 0.79% increase, while vegetable ghee (2.5 kg) rose by 0.95%.
- Sugar: Sugar prices also edged up by 0.23%.
Year-on-Year Inflationary Trends
The year-on-year (YoY) inflation rate stands at 4.64%. This reflects price increases across a broader range of goods and services over the past year.
Significant YoY Price Increases:
- Tomatoes: 95.54%
- Ladies’ Sandals: 75.09%
- Pulse Gram: 56.75%
- Potatoes: 50.81%
- Pulse Moong: 34.88%
- Powdered Milk: 25.62%
- Beef: 23.84%
- Garlic: 17.13%
- Gas Charges (Q1): 15.52%
- Cooked Daal: 15.08%
- Shirting: 14.36%
- Firewood: 12.43%
Significant YoY Price Decreases:
- Wheat Flour: 36.15%
- Chilies Powder: 20.00%
- Onions: 13.74%
- Eggs: 12.98%
- Pulse Masoor: 10.64%
- Rice Basmati Broken: 7.62%
- Diesel: 7.49%
- Electricity Charges (Q1): 6.96%
- Bread: 6.01%
- Petrol: 5.64%
- Sugar: 5.20%
Analysis of Price Changes
Out of the 51 items tracked by the SPI:
- 15 items (29.41%) experienced price increases.
- 13 items (25.49%) experienced price decreases.
- 23 items (45.10%) remained stable.
SPI Value and Income Group Impact
The SPI for the week reached 324.38 points, compared to 323.14 points in the previous week. The impact of the inflation varied across different income groups:
| Income Group (PKR) | SPI Increase |
|---|---|
| Up to 17,732 | 0.68% |
| 17,732-22,888 | 0.60% |
| 22,889-29,517 | 0.46% |
| 29,518-44,175 | 0.41% |
| Above 44,175 | 0.30% |
This data indicates that lower income groups experienced a higher impact from the weekly inflation.
Detailed Breakdown of Weekly Price Changes
Items with Price Increases:
- Garlic: 1.40%
- Mustard Oil: 0.74%
- LPG: 0.71%
- Toilet Soap: 0.33%
- Gur (Jaggery): 0.28%
- Cooked Daal: 0.20%
- Georgette: 0.13%
- Long Cloth: 0.10%
- Beef with Bone: 0.02%
- Tomatoes: 56.66%
- Firewood: 1.57%
- Vegetable Ghee (2.5kg): 0.95%
- Cooking Oil (5 liter): 0.79%
- Sugar: 0.23%
Items with Price Decreases:
- Onions: 4.16%
- Potatoes: 3.83%
- Eggs: 2.72%
- Hi-Speed Diesel: 1.17%
- Pulse Gram: 0.98%
- Wheat Flour (20 kg bag): 0.76%
- Bananas: 0.56%
- Rice Basmati Broken: 0.27%
- Pulse Moong: 0.27%
- Pulse Mash: 0.25%
- Pulse Masoor: 0.13%
- Chicken: 0.07%
- Bread (Plain): 0.02%
Conclusion
While the weekly inflation increase is relatively small, the significant rise in tomato prices and the varying impact across income groups highlight the ongoing challenges of managing inflation in Pakistan. The YoY data provides a broader perspective, showing a mix of price increases and decreases across different commodities. The government and relevant authorities will likely continue to monitor these trends closely and implement appropriate measures to stabilize prices and mitigate the impact on consumers.