ISLAMABAD, May 1, 2026 – Pakistan’s headline inflation accelerated to nearly 11% in April, exceeding official projections, as rising prices and supply constraints pushed up the cost of living, data from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics showed on Friday.
Consumer Price Index (CPI)-based inflation rose 10.9% year-on-year in April 2026, compared with 7.3% in March and 0.3% in the same month last year, the statistics agency said.
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On a month-on-month basis, inflation increased 2.5% in April, following a 1.2% rise in March and a decline of 0.8% in April 2025.
The reading came in higher than the government’s expectations. A report issued a day earlier by the Ministry of Finance Pakistan had projected inflation to remain in the range of 8% to 9% for April, citing ongoing supply chain constraints.
Urban inflation climbed 11.1% year-on-year in April, compared with 7.4% in the previous month, while on a monthly basis it rose 2.7%, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
In rural areas, CPI inflation increased 10.6% year-on-year, up from 7.2% in March, with a 2.1% rise on a monthly basis.
Other inflation indicators also showed an upward trend. The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), which tracks essential commodities, rose 10.1% year-on-year in April, compared with 5.6% in the previous month.
Wholesale Price Index (WPI) inflation surged 13.6% year-on-year, more than doubling from 6.7% in March, reflecting rising input costs across the supply chain.
Core inflation, measured by non-food non-energy (NFNE) indices, also edged higher. Urban core inflation stood at 8.0% year-on-year, while rural core inflation was recorded at 8.5%.
Meanwhile, trimmed core inflation, which excludes volatile price movements, rose sharply. Urban trimmed inflation reached 9.2% year-on-year, while rural trimmed inflation stood at 8.9%, indicating persistent underlying price pressures.
Economists say the sharp rise in inflation underscores continued vulnerabilities in Pakistan’s economy, with elevated food and energy costs, supply disruptions and external pressures contributing to price instability.