Islamabad, April 18, 2025 – In a notable economic development, Pakistan has registered deflation in its Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) on a Year-on-Year (YoY) basis for the week ending April 17, 2025.
This data, released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), offers a snapshot of the price movements of essential commodities across the nation.
The PBS reported a negative 2.72% change in the SPI for the week ending April 17, 2025, when compared to the corresponding period on April 4, 2024. This deflationary trend suggests a decrease in the overall price level of essential goods over the past year, which could have implications for household budgets and the broader economy of Pakistan.
The SPI is a crucial tool utilized by Pakistan to monitor the weekly fluctuations in the prices of essential items. This short-term assessment allows policymakers to closely observe the price situation across the country and implement timely measures if needed. The indicator encompasses 51 essential commodities, with price data collected from 50 markets spread across 17 cities in Pakistan, providing a comprehensive overview of retail price movements.
The year-on-year analysis reveals significant price decreases in several key food items and energy products. Notably, onions saw a substantial price drop of 73.63%, followed by tomatoes (52.75%), wheat flour (30.14%), garlic (28.94%), and potatoes (20.92%). Other items experiencing deflation included chilies powder (18.94%), Tea Lipton (16.98%), chicken (15.17%), petrol (13.24%), electricity charges for the first quarter (12.66%), and diesel (10.85%).
Conversely, certain commodities witnessed significant price increases over the past year. Ladies’ sandals recorded the highest surge at 55.62%, followed by pulse moong (27.21%), powdered milk (24.71%), pulse gram (21.00%), and beef (19.06%). Other items with notable price hikes included sugar (17.14%), vegetable ghee (2.5 Kg at 15.75% and 1 Kg at 15.43%), cooked daal (13.40%), firewood (10.49%), shirting (10.28%), and lawn printed fabric (10.26%).
For the current week ending April 17, 2025, the SPI registered a decrease of 0.69%. The most significant price reductions were observed in tomatoes (22.77%), chicken (11.05%), onions (9.82%), garlic (8.85%), wheat flour (2.37%), and potatoes (2.18%). Minor decreases were also noted in mustard oil (0.95%), LPG (0.89%), and vegetable ghee (1 Kg at 0.68%).
On the other hand, some items experienced price increases during the week. Shirting saw the largest increase at 3.68%, followed by lawn printed fabric (1.47%), long cloth and georgette (1.33% each), pulse gram (1.03%), cooked beef (0.74%), beef (0.66%), cooked daal (0.56%), mutton (0.48%), pulse moong (0.03%), and rice IRRI-6/9 and fresh milk (0.02% each).
Overall, during the week, the prices of 16 out of the 51 monitored items increased, while 18 items saw a decrease, and the prices of 17 items remained stable, highlighting the dynamic nature of price fluctuations within the SPI basket in Pakistan.