ISLAMABAD: The weekly inflation in Pakistan, measured by the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), experienced a marginal decline of 0.06 percent for the combined consumption groups during the week ending on December 14, as reported by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) on Friday. The SPI for this week was registered at 311.58 points, slightly lower than the previous week’s 311.78 points, according to PBS data.
Compared to the corresponding week of the previous year, the SPI for the combined consumption group showed a significant increase of 43.16 percent. The weekly SPI, with the base year 2015-16 = 100, encompasses 17 urban centers and 51 essential items for all expenditure groups.
Breaking down the data further, the SPI for the lowest consumption group, up to Rs 17,732, decreased by 0.19 percent, reaching 306.02 points from the previous week’s 306.59 points. For consumption groups ranging from Rs 17,732-22,888; Rs 22,889-29,517; Rs 29,518-44,175; and above Rs 44,175, it decreased by 0.14 percent, 0.09 percent, 0.06 percent, and 0.04 percent, respectively.
During the week, out of 51 items, the prices of 19 items increased (37.26%), 10 items decreased (19.60%), and 22 items remained stable (43.14%).
Decrease in Prices of Different Items in Pakistan
Among the items that witnessed a decrease in their average prices on a week-on-week basis were potatoes (12.18%), tomatoes (5.18%), tea Lipton (2.57%), chicken (1.19%), rice basmati broken (0.52%), mustard oil (0.36%), garlic (0.33%), and vegetable ghee 2.5 kg (0.31%).
Conversely, items that recorded an increase in their average prices on a week-on-week basis included sugar (6.02%), pulse gram (2.57%), eggs (2.33%), rice irri-6/9 (1.54%), pulse moong (1.23%), georgette (1.16%), onion (1.05%), cooked beef (0.76%), pulse masoor (0.69%), shirting (0.43%), long cloth (0.20%), and LPG (0.16%).
On a year-on-year basis, the items that witnessed a decrease in prices included onions (25.11%), mustard oil (4.40%), vegetable ghee 1 kg (2.12%), bananas (1.05%), and vegetable ghee 2.5 kg (0.95%).
Items that recorded an increase in their average prices on a year-on-year basis included gas charges for q1 (1108.59%), cigarettes (93.22%), chili powder (81.74%), wheat flour (81.40%), garlic (71.17%), rice basmati broken (64.30%), rice irri-6/9 (60.64%), gents sponge chappal (58.05%), gents sandal (53.37%), sugar (50.52%), gur (50.42%), and pulse mash (44.80%).
