The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reported a 4.15% year-on-year (YoY) increase in the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the week ended November 13, 2025, signalling continued inflationary pressures across essential commodities.

The rise was largely attributed to higher prices of staple food items, including wheat flour, sugar, gur, beef and bananas, coupled with increased costs of household energy and cooking items such as firewood, cooking oil and LPG. Non-food items, including ladies’ footwear, also contributed to the overall surge in consumer prices.
However, the week-on-week increase was only 0.53%, influenced by prices of essential commodities. The SPI, which tracks price movements of 51 key items across 50 markets in 17 cities, has been designed to provide a short-term gauge of inflationary trends in the country.

According to the report, the week-on-week increase was most pronounced in food and fuel items. Chicken prices surged 20.33%, while tomatoes rose 12.03% and bananas 2.32%. Household energy and cooking essentials also contributed to the overall rise, with LPG prices up 1.97%, cooking oil (five litres) up 0.38% and firewood higher by 0.26%. Among other commodities, beef prices increased 0.26% and mutton 0.07%.

Conversely, several commodities saw notable price declines during the week under review. Onion prices fell sharply by 6.65%, while pulse gram dropped 2.61%. Sugar and gur prices decreased 1.07% and 1.78%, respectively. Wheat flour fell 0.69%, pulse mash 0.66% and pulse moong 0.27%.

Out of the 51 items tracked, prices of 15 items increased, 12 decreased and 24 remained unchanged, highlighting a mixed trend in weekly commodity movements.

The SPI report also provided a year-on-year perspective, showing an overall increase of 4.15% compared to the same period in 2024. Significant increases were observed in non-food and food items alike. Ladies’ sandals recorded the highest annual increase of 55.62%, followed by sugar at 40.25% and gas charges for low-income households (Q1) at 29.85%.

Wheat flour prices were up 18.70% while gur and beef rose 16.47% and 14.29%, respectively. Firewood and bananas recorded annual increases of 12.23% and 11.71%, respectively. Vegetable ghee (2.5 kg), diesel, cooking oil and mutton also saw notable price hikes ranging from 8% to 10.93%.

On the other hand, some essential items showed year-on-year declines. Garlic prices fell sharply by 36.29%, pulse gram by 29.89% and Q1 electricity charges for households by 26.26%. Tomatoes and potatoes saw decreases of 23.01% and 22.46%, respectively, while tea (Lipton) declined 17.79%.