Weekly inflation in Pakistan rose to 11.85% year-on-year in the week ending October 22, driven largely by wheat flour prices, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) said on Friday. The PBS publishes this short-term measure every week, and the figure was 11.38% in the previous week. Short-term inflation has stayed in double digits for several consecutive weeks, largely because petroleum prices have kept climbing.
The index covers 51 essential items priced in 50 markets across 17 cities. Of those items, 19 (37.72pc) rose week-on-week, 12 (23.53pc) fell and 20 (39.22pc) were unchanged. The Sensitive Price Index, which tracks short-term inflation, rose 0.65pc from the previous week, reflecting moves in both food and non-food items.
Flour and energy costs lead the weekly rise
The flour price rise is the most visible change in the latest data. Wheat flour, the main ingredient of atta, rose 1pc in the week and was 36.49pc higher than a year earlier. The biggest weekly increases were in liquefied petroleum gas (LPG, a cooking and heating fuel) at 22.44pc, chicken at 12.20pc and onions at 4.19pc.
Over the year, LPG rose 107.12pc, onions 72.81pc, petrol 44.17pc and diesel 41.56pc. Not every item moved up. Tomatoes fell 21.99pc in the week and petrol dropped 3.63pc, although petrol remained far above its level a year earlier. Sugar, eggs and several pulses were cheaper than a year before.
Why fuel costs reach the kitchen
The government has not eased the petroleum levy, a tax on fuel, and has continued to raise petrol and diesel prices every day. The data pointed to cost-push inflation, a pattern in which higher energy costs are followed by higher food prices. Higher fuel prices also lift sales tax collections indirectly, because goods and services cost more to produce and sell.
The PBS data showed households are under pressure as consumer prices rise. Because the index is calculated weekly, the next releases will show whether flour and fuel prices keep moving in the same direction, though the data released so far does not say how long this will last.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- Week before October 22: short-term inflation was 11.38% year-on-year, driven largely by higher food prices, according to PBS data.
- Week ending October 22: short-term inflation rose to 11.85% year-on-year, with wheat flour among the main drivers.
- Friday, the PBS released the weekly data for the week ending October 22.
- Recent weeks: short-term inflation has remained in double digits for several consecutive weeks.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Pakistan mein weekly inflation ab 11.85 feesad hai, jo pichle hafte 11.38 feesad tha. Is hafte aate ki qeemat mein 1 feesad izafa hua aur LPG, chicken aur pyaz bhi mehnge huye. Petrol aur diesel ki qeemat roz barhai ja rahi hai, is liye ghar ka kharcha barh sakta hai. Budget banate waqt aate aur fuel ki qeemat ko zaroor dekhein.
