Pakistan’s weekly inflation rises slightly as onion prices surge 59%

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s short-term inflation posted a slight uptick during the week ending October 30, 2025, as surging onion prices added fresh pressure to household budgets, according to the latest data from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), which tracks the cost of 51 essential goods and services, rose by 0.12 percent on a week-on-week basis. The increase was modest but reflected the volatility in food prices that continues to trouble consumers.

Food items drive weekly inflation

The most notable jump came from onions, whose prices shot up by an alarming 59.54 percent during the week. Other food items also recorded gains, including eggs (3.24 percent), chicken (2.40 percent), garlic (1.72 percent), and firewood (0.93 percent). Prices of cooking oil, vegetable ghee, wheat flour, and powdered milk inched higher as well, adding to the overall rise.

In contrast, tomato prices provided some relief by plunging 47.02 percent. Other items that became cheaper included pulse gram (down 1.66 percent), pulse masoor (1.20 percent), pulse moong (0.65 percent), LPG (0.60 percent), gur (0.56 percent), and potatoes (0.23 percent).

Items with price changes during the week

Of the 51 essential items tracked, prices of 14 increased, 10 declined, and 27 remained unchanged.

Yearly inflation remains moderate

On a year-on-year basis, the SPI recorded a 5.05 percent rise compared with the same week last year. The biggest annual price hikes were observed in ladies’ sandals (55.62 percent), sugar (42.44 percent), tomatoes (31.56 percent), gas charges for the first quarter (29.85 percent), onions (19.98 percent), and wheat flour (19.23 percent).

At the same time, the prices of garlic, pulses, electricity, potatoes, and tea showed notable declines from a year earlier, offering some offset to the broader inflationary trend.

Mixed impact across income groups

The impact of weekly inflation varied across income levels. Households in the lowest expenditure group experienced a 0.28 percent increase for the week and a 6.14 percent annual rise. Meanwhile, the highest income group saw a smaller 0.08 percent weekly uptick and a 4.20 percent yearly gain.

In non-food categories, the average price of a 50kg bag of Sona urea fertiliser held steady at Rs4,370, showing a 4.44 percent decline from last year. Cement prices fell slightly to Rs1,390 per 50kg bag, down 0.22 percent from the previous week and 3.87 percent lower than last year.

The SPI, compiled from 50 markets across 17 cities, remains a key measure of short-term inflation trends in Pakistan, offering insight into the daily cost pressures faced by ordinary consumers.