Weekly Inflation Ticks Up Slightly as Food Prices Rise — SPI Sees 0.20% Increase

According to the latest data from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) — which tracks weekly inflation — went up by 0.20% for the week ending April 3, 2025. The SPI rose to 319.79 points, slightly higher than the previous week's 319.14.

On a more positive note, if we compare it year-on-year, the SPI actually fell by 1.99%, showing that overall inflation is slightly easing. The SPI uses 2015-16 as its base year (with 100 as the reference point), and monitors prices of 51 essential items across 17 cities, covering all income levels.

For the lowest income group (people earning up to Rs 17,732 per month), the SPI rose by 0.28%, moving from 307.79 to 308.66 points. All other income groups also saw mild increases — ranging from 0.17% to 0.27%, depending on their earnings.

Out of the 51 items tracked this week, 15 got more expensive, 10 got cheaper, and 26 stayed the same. Notable price hikes included chicken (up 7.17%), potatoes (6.50%), onions (5.10%), tomatoes (0.66%), and gur (0.63%).

Meanwhile, some relief came from garlic (down 6.11%), bananas (5.34%), eggs (4.79%), LPG (0.70%), and petrol (0.33%), which saw price drops.

Looking at yearly trends, several items showed massive drops — onions were down 67.46%, wheat flour by 31.63%, tomatoes 20.93%, and even electricity charges dropped 18.92% for the first quarter. But not everything’s cheap — prices for things like ladies sandals (up 55.62%), pulse moong (27.10%), powdered milk (25.74%), and beef (21.10%) went up noticeably.