Pakistan’s weekly inflation rises to 11.92% amid oil price pressures

KARACHI: Pakistan’s short-term inflation rose further in the week ended September 24, with the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) increasing 11.92% year-on-year, according to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.

The weekly inflation rate also climbed 0.99% compared with the previous week, marking the second consecutive week in which the annual SPI increase remained above 10%.

The latest rise has been linked partly to higher energy costs and continued volatility in global oil markets amid tensions involving the United States and Iran. Brent crude briefly crossed $106 per barrel before settling around $103.64 during the week.

Energy-related items recorded some of the sharpest annual increases. LPG prices were 63.97% higher than a year earlier, while electricity charges for the first quarter increased 58.59%. Diesel prices rose 51.80% and petrol became 47.49% more expensive over the same period.

Food items also added to the inflationary burden. Onion prices surged 115.98% year-on-year, while wheat flour rose 32.41%. Powdered chilli increased 16.37%, mutton 15.75% and beef 13.22%. Fresh milk and plain bread prices also recorded annual increases of 8.10% and 8.96%, respectively.

On a weekly basis, electricity charges recorded the largest increase at 18.76%. Egg prices rose 2.02%, garlic 1.57% and LPG 1.55%.

Some items, however, became cheaper during the week. Tomato prices declined 13.45%, potatoes fell 8.33%, diesel dropped 1.57% and petrol prices decreased 0.34%.

Of the 51 items tracked by the PBS, prices of 20 increased during the week, while 10 declined and 21 remained unchanged.

The impact varied across income groups. Households in the highest expenditure group recorded annual inflation of 12.31%, compared with 9.69% for the lowest-income group.

The latest weekly data follows a sharp increase in monthly inflation. Pakistan’s Consumer Price Index rose 11.1% year-on-year in August, compared with 9.2% in July and 3.1% in August 2025.

Rural areas continued to experience stronger inflationary pressure than urban centres. Rural CPI inflation reached 12.2% in August, while urban inflation stood at 10.4% year-on-year.