Pakistan’s weekly inflation, measured by the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), has risen by 1.30 percent for the combined consumption group in the week ending August 3. According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), the SPI for this group surged to 271.56 points from 268.08 points in the preceding week. This represents a significant yearly increase of 29.83 percent compared to the same week last year.
Consumption Groups and Essential Items Impacted
The SPI, calculated with the base year as 2015-16 = 100, reflects data from 17 urban centres and includes 51 essential items for all expenditure groups. For the lowest expenditure group (up to Rs 17,732), the SPI rose by 0.82 percent, reaching 277.55 points. Higher expenditure groups observed the following SPI increments: Rs 17,732-22,888 (0.92 percent), Rs 22,889-29,517 (0.97 percent), Rs 29,518-44,175 (1.11 percent), and above Rs 44,175 (1.53 percent).
Changes in the Prices of Essential Items
During the observed week, prices of 23 out of 51 items increased, 7 decreased, and 21 remained stable. Mustard oil, chicken, vegetable ghee, pulse gram, wheat flour, and pulse moong saw a price decrease. Items such as tomatoes, chillies powder, garlic, onion, powdered milk, eggs, rice basmati broken, LPG, petrol, and diesel witnessed a price increase. On a year-on-year basis, commodities like onions, electricity for q1, pulse masoor, and vegetable ghee 1 kg had a price decrease, while wheat flour, cigarettes, gas charges for q1, tea lipton, rice basmati broken, rice irri-6/9, tomatoes, chillies powder, sugar, chicken, gents sponge chappal, gur, and potatoes had a price increase.
, shows a 1.30% increase for the combined consumption group. Discover the impact on various expenditure groups and essential items.){kind=link}