Islamabad, March 27, 2026 – The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics reported that inflation surged to 8.24% Year on Year (YoY) for the week ending March 26, 2026, driven largely by rising fuel prices and increases in essential food items.
PBS calculates weekly inflation through the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), which tracks price changes of 51 essential commodities collected from 50 markets across 17 cities in Pakistan. The SPI allows policymakers to monitor price trends and make timely interventions to stabilize markets.
Weekly and Yearly Inflation by Consumption Quintile
| Consumption Quintile | Week-on-Week Change (%) | Year-on-Year Change (%) |
| Q1 | 0.97 | 7.02 |
| Q2 | 1.09 | 8.76 |
| Q3 | 0.86 | 7.61 |
| Q4 | 0.79 | 7.15 |
| Q5 | 0.94 | 7.64 |
| Combined | 0.97 | 8.24 |
Analysis of SPI:
During the week, prices of 23 items (45.10%) increased, while 6 items (11.76%) decreased, and 22 items (43.14%) remained stable. Significant weekly increases were recorded in onions (18.10%), tomatoes (11.38%), LPG (10.05%), chicken (8.70%), potatoes (8.11%), and electricity charges for Q1 (6.11%).
The YoY trend shows major price surges in LPG (34.73%), diesel (29.94%), gas charges Q1 (29.85%), wheat flour (25.76%), petrol (25.75%), and onions (25.07%). Conversely, significant declines were observed in potatoes (45.71%), pulse gram (17.54%), eggs (13.63%), and garlic (12.92%).
The data reflects growing inflationary pressure driven by energy costs and seasonal food price volatility, underscoring challenges for consumers and policymakers in managing cost-of-living pressures across Pakistan.