Pakistan’s CPI inflation rate falls below 10 per cent in August

ISLAMABAD: In a positive development, Pakistan’s inflation rate fell below 10 per cent in August, in line with the government’s expectations that the rate would continue to decrease.

The latest figures from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reveal that the consumer price index (CPI) inflation fell to 9.6 per cent in August. This marks a significant decrease from the 11.1 per cent recorded in July and a notable drop from 27.4 per cent in August 2023.

The annual CPI increase of 9.6 per cent aligns with market predictions. For the first two months of the fiscal year 2025, the average annual inflation stands at 10.4 per cent, a substantial reduction from 27.8 per cent during the same period in the previous fiscal year.

Month-to-month, the CPI rose by 0.4 per cent in August 2024, compared to a 2.1 per cent increase in July and a 1.7 per cent rise in August 2023.

Core inflation, which excludes food and energy prices, increased by 11.9 per cent year-on-year in August. This is down from 13.8 per cent in the previous month and 21.4 per cent in August 2023.

On a monthly basis, core CPI went up by 0.5 per cent in August 2024, a smaller increase compared to 0.9 per cent in July and 2.2 per cent in August 2023.

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