In a welcome shift for household budgets across Pakistan, the cost of essential goods recorded a notable decline for the week ending November 6, 2025. Data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) shows the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), a key gauge of short-term inflation, fell by 0.59% on a week-on-week basis.
Broad-Based Relief Across Income Groups
The relief was felt by citizens across the economic spectrum. The PBS computes the SPI by tracking 51 essential items in 50 markets across 17 cities, reflecting the consumption patterns of five different income groups. All five groups experienced a decrease in their cost of living, with the most significant drop of -1.04% felt by the lowest income quintile. The highest income group saw a more modest decline of -0.44%, indicating a broad-based moderation in price pressures.
Weekly Winners and Losers: A Deep Dive into Price Changes
The most dramatic price drop was witnessed in the vegetable aisle. Tomato prices plummeted by a staggering 37.93%, offering significant relief to consumers. They were followed by decreases in the prices of onions (-4.88%), garlic (-3.23%), pulse gram (-1.58%), and chicken (-0.68%).
Other essential items that became cheaper include:
- Sugar (-0.64%)
- Gur (-0.60%)
- Pulse Masoor (-0.55%)
- Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) (-0.15%)
However, not all news was positive. The price of eggs increased by 2.40%, while bananas became costlier by 2.32%. Other items that saw weekly price hikes include:
- Firewood (1.61%)
- Diesel (1.12%)
- Beef (0.93%)
- Prepared tea (0.92%)
- Petrol (0.91%)
Essential staples like bread, wheat flour, powdered milk, and cooking oil also saw mild upward price adjustments. In total, out of the 51 items tracked, 18 became more expensive, 12 saw price reductions, and 21 remained unchanged.
The Annual Picture: A Sharp Slowdown in Inflation
While the weekly data brings relief, the year-on-year comparison tells a story of persistent, though slowing, inflation. The SPI recorded a 4.18% increase compared to the same week last year. While still an increase, this figure represents a sharp slowdown from the double-digit inflation rates that plagued the country for most of 2024 and early 2025.
The most significant annual price surges were seen in:
- Ladies' sandals (55.62%)
- Sugar (43.67%)
- Gas charges for Q1 (29.85%)
- Wheat flour (19.50%)
Conversely, several items are significantly cheaper than they were a year ago, including:
- Garlic (-33.54%)
- Pulse Gram (-29.82%)
- Electricity charges for Q1 (-26.26%)
- Potatoes (-22.32%)
This mixed bag of weekly relief and moderated annual inflation provides a complex but cautiously optimistic outlook for Pakistani consumers navigating the volatile food and energy markets.
