According to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) on Friday, inflation increased significantly in the week that ended August 18, reaching a record 42.3 percent year-over-year.
Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) data shows that inflation increased by 3.35 percent week over week, primarily due to increasing food prices. The week that concluded on July 28 saw the biggest weekly increase in inflation, 3.68 percent.
Based on a study of 50 markets in 17 cities across the nation, the SPI tracks the cost of 51 necessities. 25 out of 51 items had price increases during the week under review, 11 had price decreases, and 15 had unchanged pricing.
Highest week-on-week increase
- Tomatoes: 20.28pc
- Chicken: 7.57pc
- Onions: 2.30pc
- Powdered milk 2.03pc
- Electricity (for the lowest income group): 6.83pc
Highest week-on-week decrease
- LPG: 3.46pc
- Vegetable ghee: 1.16pc
- Garlic: 0.94pc
- Mustard oil: 0.71pc
- Pulse masoor: 0.42pc
Highest year-on-year increase
- Pulse masoor: 111.02pc
- Diesel: 108.77pc
- Petrol: 94.53pc
- Onions: 94.43pc
- Cooking oil 72.96pc
The SPI increased week over week for the lowest income group (those making less than Rs17,732 per month) by 1.80 percent and by 3.94 percent for those making more than Rs44,175 per month.
