Rising prices of tomatoes, onions, electricity, fuel and wheat flour continue to put pressure on household budgets
ISLAMABAD, June 19, 2026: Pakistan’s inflationary pressures remained elevated as the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) recorded a 15.28 percent year-on-year (YoY) increase for the week ended June 18, 2026, according to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) on Friday.
The weekly inflation gauge also rose by 0.46 percent compared with the previous week, reflecting continued increases in the prices of several essential food and household items.
The SPI is compiled on a weekly basis to monitor short-term price movements of essential commodities. It covers 51 essential items collected from 50 markets across 17 cities in Pakistan.
Weekly Inflation Rises Across Income Groups
The PBS data showed that inflation increased across all consumption quintiles during the week under review.
| Consumption Quintile | Week-on-Week Change (%) | Year-on-Year Change (%) |
| Q1 | 0.64 | 13.30 |
| Q2 | 0.61 | 16.00 |
| Q3 | 0.53 | 14.00 |
| Q4 | 0.51 | 13.68 |
| Q5 | 0.39 | 14.48 |
| Combined | 0.46 | 15.28 |
The second consumption quintile recorded the highest annual inflation rate at 16.0 percent, while the lowest-income group faced inflation of 13.3 percent.
Tomatoes, Potatoes and Chicken Drive Weekly Increase
According to the PBS analysis, the SPI increased by 0.46 percent during the week mainly due to higher prices of several food and household products.
Major increases were recorded in:
• Tomatoes: 16.65%
• Potatoes: 6.82%
• Chicken: 5.60%
• Washing soap: 1.16%
• Gur: 0.65%
• Mutton: 0.51%
• LPG: 0.51%
• Shirting: 0.48%
• Long cloth: 0.43%
• Eggs: 0.35%
• Fresh milk: 0.29%
• Curd: 0.26%
Some Essential Commodities Register Decline
The weekly data also showed price reductions in a number of items.
Notable decreases included:
• Onions: 2.98%
• Garlic: 2.51%
• Bananas: 1.28%
• Petrol: 1.06%
• Pulse mash: 1.04%
• Salt powder: 0.95%
• Pulse moong: 0.61%
• Wheat flour: 0.53%
• Diesel: 0.51%
• Pulse gram: 0.04%
Out of the 51 commodities monitored, prices of 25 items (49.02%) increased, 11 items (21.57%) declined, while 15 items (29.41%) remained unchanged during the week.
Onions and Tomatoes Lead Annual Price Surge
The year-on-year comparison revealed significant increases in the prices of several essential commodities.
Among the largest annual increases were:
• Onions: 79.76%
• Tomatoes: 68.59%
• Electricity charges for Q1 consumers: 59.40%
• Wheat flour: 58.72%
• LPG: 52.66%
• Petrol: 44.73%
• Diesel: 44.39%
• Mutton: 16.30%
• Chilli powder: 15.20%
• Beef: 12.86%
• Garlic: 10.74%
• Bread: 8.67%
Relief Seen in Selected Food Items
Despite the overall inflationary trend, some commodities posted notable year-on-year declines.
Prices fell for:
• Potatoes: 41.09%
• Eggs: 26.98%
• Pulse gram: 22.32%
• Sugar: 17.51%
• Salt powder: 14.09%
• Pulse masoor: 12.25%
• Pulse moong: 5.48%
• Chicken: 4.24%
Inflation Remains Key Economic Challenge
The latest SPI figures indicate that food inflation and utility costs continue to weigh heavily on consumers despite moderation in prices of some commodities. Rising electricity charges, fuel prices and staple food items remain among the primary contributors to the elevated inflation rate.
Economists say the inflation outlook for the coming months will largely depend on energy prices, agricultural supplies, exchange rate stability and the government’s fiscal measures for the 2026-27 financial year.
