Pakistan's short-term inflation remained at 11.38 per cent year-on-year for the week ending 15 October 2026. The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) fell by 0.04 per cent week-on-week to reach a combined index of 372.43.
This figure represents a slight decrease from the 372.58 index recorded a week earlier, though it remains much higher than the 334.39 level from the same week last year. Fuel and energy costs saw substantial annual hikes, with petrol rising 49.60 per cent, diesel increasing by 43.98 per cent, and LPG jumping 68.95 per cent.
Electricity charges for the first quarter climbed by 58.59 per cent over the previous year. Food prices showed mixed annual trends, as onions recorded the steepest yearly increase of 75.19 per cent while tomatoes became 63.65 per cent cheaper.
Other staples saw varied changes, including a 35.13 per cent rise in wheat flour, a 20.77 per cent increase in chicken, and a 14.90 per cent rise in mutton. Beef prices rose 12.27 per cent, whereas sugar declined by 23.20 per cent and eggs dropped by 19.83 per cent year-on-year.
Potatoes fell 39.93 per cent compared to the previous year. Weekly price movements showed that 23 items, accounting for 45.10 per cent of the basket, increased in price.
Conversely, 7 items saw a weekly price drop of 13.72 per cent, while 21 items remained unchanged. Specific weekly declines included a 23.05 per cent drop in tomatoes, a 4.90 per cent fall in onions, and a 2.59 per cent decrease in bananas.
Petrol prices dipped 0.70 per cent week-on-week, while gram pulse rose 4.97 per cent and wheat flour increased by 3.36 per cent. Chicken prices rose 3.31 per cent during the same period.
The lowest expenditure group (Q1) saw a 0.06 per cent weekly drop but an 8.19 per cent annual rise. The highest expenditure group (Q5) recorded a 12.09 per cent annual increase.
