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Pakistan’s Sensitive Price Indicator rose 0.37% in the week ending March 5, reflecting higher food and fuel costs
Weekly inflation measured through the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) increased by 0.37% for the week ended March 5, 2026, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
The SPI is calculated every week to monitor short-term price movements of essential commodities. The index covers 51 basic items collected from 50 markets across 17 major cities of the country.
According to the latest data, the increase in weekly inflation was mainly driven by higher prices of food items and energy products.
The largest weekly increase was recorded in the price of chicken, which rose by 10.46%. Prices of liquefied petroleum gas increased by 5.61%, while bananas became 3.85% more expensive during the week.
Fuel prices also contributed to the rise in the index. Petrol prices increased by 3.06% and diesel prices went up by 1.84%.
Among other food items, garlic prices increased by 1.23%, while beef and mutton recorded gains of 0.66% and 0.65% respectively.
Prices of pulse mash rose by 0.51%, while lawn printed cloth increased by 0.43%. Gur prices also rose by 0.30%, and mustard oil recorded a 0.24% increase.
However, several essential food items recorded significant declines during the same period.
Tomato prices dropped sharply by 10.04%, while eggs became cheaper by 8.13%. Onion prices declined by 6.08%, and potatoes recorded a decrease of 5.09%.
Wheat flour prices also fell by 2.40% during the week, while pulse gram declined by 0.50% and pulse moong decreased by 0.43%.
Cooking oil in five-litre packs recorded a price reduction of 0.37%.
Overall, out of the 51 items monitored under the SPI basket, prices of 13 items increased during the week. Prices of 11 items declined, while the prices of 27 items remained unchanged.
The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics said the year-on-year trend of the SPI showed an increase of 4.70% compared with the same week last year.
Among the major items showing annual increases, gas charges for the first quarter rose by 29.85%. Wheat flour prices increased by 26.13%, while electricity charges for the first quarter rose by 17.33%.
Liquefied petroleum gas recorded a year-on-year increase of 16.89%, while chili powder prices rose by 15.20%.
Beef prices increased by 12.36% and firewood prices rose by 11.40%.
Powdered milk prices increased by 10.16%, while mutton recorded a 9.32% increase.
Tomatoes also recorded an annual increase of 9.02%, while gur prices rose by 8.51%.
Rice basmati broken recorded a 6.18% increase compared with the same week last year.
On the other hand, several food items showed significant declines on a year-on-year basis.
Potato prices dropped by 53.76%, while onion prices declined by 26.10%.
Egg prices fell by 24.93%, while garlic prices declined by 22.25%.
Chicken prices decreased by 21.70%, while pulse gram prices dropped by 21.37%.
Salt powder prices declined by 12.52%, and pulse masoor recorded a decrease of 10.71%.
The SPI is widely used by policymakers to track short-term inflation trends and assess the impact of price movements on household budgets, particularly for low- and middle-income groups.
