Pakistan’s short-term inflation moved up by 0.49 percent during the week ended August 20, 2026, driven mainly by higher prices of onions, petrol and chicken, according to the latest figures released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).
The weekly Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), which tracks the prices of essential household goods, showed onions recorded the biggest increase, rising 14.17 percent over the previous week. Petrol prices went up by 3.77 percent, while chicken became 3.35 percent more expensive.
Other items that registered increases included garlic, pulse gram, prepared tea, branded tea, fresh milk, cooked daal, washing soap, cigarettes and shirting, though most recorded only modest gains.
At the same time, several commonly used items became cheaper. Egg prices fell by 5.78 percent, followed by diesel with a 5.15 percent decline. Tomatoes dropped 4.99 percent, while prices of potatoes, LPG, bananas, sugar, pulse moong, pulse masoor and pulse mash also eased during the week.
Out of the 51 items monitored by the PBS, prices of 23 items increased, 10 declined and 18 remained unchanged.
On a yearly basis, the SPI was 9.66 percent higher than the same week last year, showing that inflationary pressure remains significant despite weekly fluctuations.
The sharpest annual increase was recorded in onion prices, which more than doubled with a rise of 132.52 percent. Tomato prices were up 93.21 percent, while wheat flour became 62.25 percent more expensive compared with a year ago.
Other notable annual increases were seen in LPG, diesel, petrol, electricity charges for the first quarter, bananas, chilli powder, mutton, beef and plain bread.
In contrast, potatoes recorded the biggest year-on-year decline, falling 30.01 percent. Sugar prices were down 19.10 percent, while chicken and eggs were cheaper by 17.68 percent and 17.41 percent, respectively. Prices of salt powder, pulse gram, pulse masoor and gur also remained below last year’s levels.
Pakistan’s weekly inflation rose 0.49 percent as onion, petrol and chicken prices increased, while eggs and diesel became cheaper.
The SPI measures weekly price changes for 51 essential commodities collected from 50 markets in 17 cities across the country. It is used by policymakers to monitor short-term inflation trends and assess changes in the cost of everyday household items.
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