Onion, chicken and pulse gram prices rise during the week, while tomatoes, LPG and diesel become cheaper.
ISLAMABAD, August 7, 2026: Pakistan’s weekly inflation, measured by the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), increased by 9.29 percent year-on-year (YoY) for the week ended August 6, 2026, reflecting persistent inflationary pressures driven primarily by higher prices of essential food items and petroleum products.
According to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) on Friday, the SPI also increased 0.28 percent week-on-week (WoW) compared with the previous week.
The SPI tracks short-term price movements in essential commodities and is compiled using prices of 51 items collected from 50 markets in 17 cities across the country.
Inflation Remains High Across All Income Groups
The PBS data showed that inflation remained elevated across all consumption groups, with lower-income households continuing to experience the highest price pressures.
| Consumption Quintile | WoW Change | YoY Change |
| Q1 (Lowest income) | 0.43% | 9.51% |
| Q2 | 0.41% | 9.87% |
| Q3 | 0.36% | 8.79% |
| Q4 | 0.34% | 8.96% |
| Q5 (Highest income) | 0.20% | 9.00% |
| Combined | 0.28% | 9.29% |
Onion, Chicken and Pulse Gram Prices Increase
Several essential commodities registered higher prices during the week.
The largest weekly increase was recorded in onions, which rose 10.14 percent, followed by chicken (9.19 percent) and pulse gram (2.43 percent).
Other items that became more expensive included:
• Chillies powder: 1.01%
• Mustard oil: 0.99%
• Tea (Lipton): 0.57%
• Wheat flour: 0.52%
• Vegetable ghee (1kg): 0.37%
• Firewood: 0.32%
• Washing soap: 0.08%
Tomatoes, LPG and Diesel Become Cheaper
The PBS also reported price declines for several commodities during the week.
The sharpest weekly decrease was recorded in tomatoes, which fell 6.82 percent, followed by LPG (1.90 percent) and diesel (1.66 percent).
Other items recording lower prices included:
• Bananas: 1.20%
• Petrol: 0.63%
• Sugar: 0.51%
• Plain bread: 0.29%
• Eggs: 0.09%
• Potatoes: 0.09%
Overall, of the 51 commodities monitored under the SPI:
• 20 items (39.22%) recorded price increases.
• Nine items (17.65%) registered price declines.
• 22 items (43.13%) remained unchanged.
Tomatoes Lead Annual Price Increases
On an annual basis, tomatoes recorded the steepest increase, surging 178.03 percent compared with the same week last year.
Other major annual increases included:
• Onions: 84.65%
• Wheat flour: 80.02%
• LPG: 53.83%
• Diesel: 34.44%
• Petrol: 25.97%
• Gents sponge chappal: 16.69%
• Chillies powder: 16.37%
• Mutton: 16.12%
• Bananas: 15.11%
• Beef: 13.81%
• Plain bread: 9.37%
Some Food Items Register Annual Declines
Despite the overall increase in inflation, several food items remained cheaper than a year earlier.
Notable year-on-year declines included:
• Potatoes: 30.65%
• Pulse gram: 17.86%
• Sugar: 17.60%
• Chicken: 15.65%
• Salt powder: 14.09%
• Pulse masoor: 13.02%
• Eggs: 9.66%
• Pulse moong: 6.25%
The latest SPI figures indicate that while weekly inflation remained relatively moderate, elevated prices of essential food items continue to sustain overall inflationary pressures. Lower-income households remain particularly vulnerable, as food accounts for a larger share of their household expenditure.