Pakistan’s weekly inflation eased for the second straight week as lower prices of tomatoes, chicken and electricity helped offset fresh increases in fuel and several food items.
According to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), which measures short term inflation, fell 0.91 percent during the week ended July 30, 2026.
The biggest weekly drop came from tomatoes, whose prices declined 22.96 percent. Chicken became 11.20 percent cheaper, while electricity charges for the first quarter fell 9.06 percent. Smaller declines were also recorded in the prices of bananas, sugar and pulse moong.
However, consumers continued to face higher prices for several everyday essentials. Onion prices jumped 7.62 percent, followed by diesel, which rose 4.17 percent. Egg prices increased 3.16 percent, while petrol became 2.46 percent more expensive. Wheat flour, potatoes and LPG also recorded notable increases, along with pulse gram, vegetable ghee, pulse mash, pulse masoor and firewood.
PBS data showed that out of 51 essential items monitored during the week, prices of 27 items increased, six declined and 18 remained unchanged.
Despite the weekly decline, inflation remained significantly higher than a year ago. On an annual basis, the SPI was up 9.05 percent.
Tomatoes recorded the sharpest yearly increase, surging 228.71 percent, while onion prices almost doubled with a 95.36 percent rise. Wheat flour was 78.65 percent more expensive than a year earlier, followed by LPG at 51.76 percent. Diesel and petrol prices were up 37.42 percent and 23.28 percent, respectively.
Other items that saw noticeable annual increases included men’s sponge slippers, mutton, chilli powder, bananas, beef and plain bread.
Some essential goods, however, were cheaper than a year ago. Potato prices fell 30.89 percent, while pulse gram dropped 19.89 percent. Chicken prices were down 19.56 percent, followed by sugar, salt powder, pulse masoor, eggs and pulse moong.
The report also showed a slight decline in fertiliser prices. The average price of a 50 kilogram bag of Sona urea stood at Rs4,651, down 0.08 percent from the previous week. It was, however, still 5.44 percent higher than the same period last year.
Cement prices moved in the opposite direction. The average price of a 50 kilogram bag rose to Rs1,558, up 1.46 percent from the previous week and 10.59 percent higher than a year earlier.
The SPI tracks weekly price movements of 51 essential goods across 50 markets in 17 cities and is widely used to monitor short term inflation trends and assess changes in the cost of living.
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