Weekly inflation rises 0.12pc, annual rate hits 3.20pc

ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Pakistan witnessed a 0.12 percent increase in weekly inflation this week after two consecutive weeks of decline, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). On an annual basis, inflation now stands at 3.20 percent.

The PBS report showed that prices of 21 essential items increased, 8 items saw a decline, while 22 items remained stable.

Among the items that became cheaper, eggs fell by 1.44 percent, onions by 2.20 percent, potatoes by 3.73 percent, tomatoes by 0.05 percent, bananas by 0.21 percent, chickpeas by 1.51 percent, red lentils by 0.38 percent, and black gram by 0.65 percent.

On the other hand, prices of flour rose 5.07 percent, chicken by 2.86 percent, red chili powder by 1.01 percent, garlic by 2.44 percent, tea by 0.73 percent, LPG by 0.88 percent, sugar by 0.58 percent, bread by 0.51 percent, firewood by 0.25 percent, and broken basmati rice by 0.41 percent.

The report also highlighted inflation rates across income groups:

• Households earning up to Rs17,732 per month experienced a 0.12 percent weekly rise, bringing annual inflation to 2.45 percent.
• Households earning Rs17,733–22,888 saw a 0.13 percent weekly rise, with annual inflation at 3.65 percent.
• Households earning Rs22,889–29,517 had a 0.13 percent weekly increase, annual inflation 3.43 percent.
• Households earning Rs29,518–44,175 recorded a 0.13 percent weekly rise, annual inflation 3.08 percent.
• Households earning above Rs44,176 experienced a 0.11 percent weekly rise, annual inflation 2.58 percent.

Officials said that while some essential goods saw minor declines, rising prices of staples such as flour and chicken are keeping inflation in check for middle- and higher-income groups.