SPI Inflation Declines by 0.39% on Weekly Basis

SPI Inflation Declines by 0.39% on Weekly Basis

Karachi, January 17, 2025 – The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the week ending January 16, 2025, recorded a decline of 0.39% compared to the previous week, according to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

The SPI is a key measure of inflation, providing a snapshot of price movements for essential commodities across various regions of Pakistan.

SPI is calculated on a weekly basis to capture short-term price changes and assess the impact of inflation on consumers. The index covers 51 essential items sourced from 50 markets in 17 cities, giving a comprehensive view of the price trends across the country. In this reporting period, there were notable fluctuations in the prices of several items.

A significant decrease in prices was observed in several essential commodities. Tomatoes saw the largest drop, plunging by 18.31%, followed by potatoes at 10.42%, onions at 10.01%, and eggs, which fell by 8.64%. Other items such as chicken, LPG, pulse mash, mustard oil, and garlic also experienced moderate price declines, with respective drops of 2.17%, 1.21%, 0.81%, 0.67%, and 0.54%.

Conversely, there were notable price increases in certain goods. Bananas saw the highest surge, with prices rising by 3.22%, followed by petrol, which became 1.39% more expensive. The cost of vegetable ghee (2.5 kg) rose by 1.08%, while cooking oil (5 liters) increased by 1.01%. Firewood, diesel, pulse moong, sugar, cooked daal, and rice basmati broken also saw price hikes, with increases ranging from 0.58% to 1.00%.

Out of the 51 items monitored, 21 items (41.18%) saw price increases, 10 items (19.61%) registered price decreases, and 20 items (39.21%) remained stable during the week.

The year-on-year comparison reveals a broader inflationary trend, with an overall increase of 1.16%. Significant price hikes were recorded in items such as ladies’ sandals (up by 75.09%), potatoes (47.91%), pulse gram (39.77%), and pulse moong (33.40%). Other products like powdered milk, beef, vegetable ghee, and cooked daal also experienced substantial increases. However, notable price drops were observed in onions (47.22%), wheat flour (35.89%), eggs (31.92%), chilies powder (20.00%), and tomatoes (19.83%), among others. The decrease in the prices of essential goods offers a slight respite to consumers facing higher living costs in the long term.