ISLAMABAD, April 10 – Pakistan’s weekly inflation rose sharply by 12.15% year-on-year for the week ending April 9, driven primarily by steep increases in petroleum product prices, according to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), which tracks the cost of essential commodities on a weekly basis, showed that high-speed diesel prices surged 101%, while petrol increased by nearly 49% year-on-year, emerging as the key drivers of inflationary pressure.
The SPI covers 51 essential items collected from 50 markets across 17 cities, reflecting price movements across different income groups.
SPI Inflation by Consumption Quintiles
| Quintile | Week-on-Week (%) | Year-on-Year (%) |
| Q1 (Lowest) | 0.75 | 9.33 |
| Q2 | 1.02 | 11.50 |
| Q3 | 1.17 | 10.51 |
| Q4 | 1.56 | 10.61 |
| Q5 (Highest) | 2.50 | 12.25 |
| Combined | 1.93 | 12.15 |
On a week-on-week basis, inflation increased by 1.93%, with notable rises in diesel (54.71%), petrol (17.86%), tomatoes (9.35%), LPG (8.61%), potatoes (4.13%), onions (3.84%), and eggs (3.77%).
Other essential food items including beef, mutton, cooked lentils and bread also recorded modest increases, reflecting broad-based price pressures in the market.
However, some commodities witnessed declines, including garlic, bananas, chicken, wheat flour, cooking oil, and pulses, partially offsetting overall inflation.
Weekly Price Movement Summary
Out of 51 monitored items, prices of 28 items (54.9%) increased, 8 items (15.7%) decreased, while 15 items (29.4%) remained stable.
On a year-on-year basis, significant increases were also observed in LPG, onions, wheat flour, tomatoes, mutton, and beef, while items such as potatoes, sugar, chicken, and pulses showed declines.
Economists said rising fuel costs continue to have a cascading effect on transport and food prices, amplifying inflationary pressures across lower-income groups.
Analysts expect inflationary trends to remain sensitive to energy pricing adjustments and global commodity movements in the coming weeks.
