KARACHI:
Pakistan’s weekly inflation, measured by the Delicate Worth Indicator (SPI), recorded a 3.87% year-on-year (YoY) enhance for the week ended January 15, 2026, reflecting sustained stress on important home items regardless of easing costs of a number of meals staples.
The SPI, compiled on a weekly foundation to evaluate short-term worth actions, covers information on 51 important commodities collected from 50 markets throughout 17 cities and serves as a key gauge of inflationary traits on the shopper degree.
In keeping with official information, the YoY enhance of three.87% was pushed largely by sharp rises in staple meals and energy-related objects. Wheat flour registered the steepest annual enhance of 34.90%, whereas gasoline prices for the bottom consumption quintile (Q1) surged 29.85%, underscoring the disproportionate burden on lower-income households.
Costs of eggs rose 20.85% in comparison with the identical interval of final 12 months, adopted by beef at 12.83% and chilli powder at 12.56%. Different notable will increase have been recorded in sugar (10.43%), firewood (10.35%), gur (9.97%), powdered milk (9.90%), bananas (8.92%), garden – printed cloth (8.29%) and shirting (7.93%).
In distinction, a big YoY decline was noticed in a number of greens and pulses, offering some reduction to customers. Potato costs fell sharply by 46.60%, whereas onions declined 37.30% and garlic 35.91%. Tomatoes have been down 32.88% on an annual foundation, whereas costs of pulse gram decreased 31.03%. Different objects displaying YoY declines included Lipton tea (17.79%), pulse mash (13.69%), pulse masoor (9.55%), diesel (1.27%) and petrol (0.95%), reflecting easing gas prices versus final 12 months.
On a week-on-week (WoW) foundation, the SPI elevated by 0.25%, indicating a modest uptick in short-term inflationary pressures. Weekly information confirmed a pointy rise in tomato costs by 27.64%, adopted by LPG at 7.03% and wheat flour at 3.26%.
Eggs rose 2.19%, bananas 1.68% and chilli powder 1.02%. Costs of firewood, pulse moong, georgette cloth, mustard oil and powdered milk additionally recorded marginal will increase through the week.
In the meantime, notable WoW declines have been seen in potatoes (6.72%) and onions (3.82%), whereas rooster costs fell 1.66%. Different objects registering minor weekly decreases included salt powder, pulse gram, damaged Basmati rice, vegetable ghee (1kg) and pulse masoor.
Earnings-wise evaluation confirmed that the influence of YoY inflation diversified throughout consumption quintiles, starting from 3.16% for the highest-income group (Q5) to 4.52% for Q2, highlighting persistent cost-of-living pressures on middle- and lower-income segments.
Out of the 51 objects monitored through the week, costs of 13 objects (25.49%) elevated, 13 objects (25.49%) decreased, whereas 25 objects (49.02%) remained unchanged, suggesting combined worth dynamics amid ongoing inflationary challenges.
