ISLAMABAD: The inflation rate in terms of the Sensitive Price Index in Pakistan decreased by 0.33 percent in the week ended May 21, 2026, providing much-needed respite for the public as the prices of chicken, electricity, and garlic fell significantly. This data was released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics at the end of the week.
The price of chicken was the leader among the declining commodities with a decrease of 8.56 percent, Q1 electricity bills with a 6.08 percent decrease, and garlic with a fall of 3.53 percent. The SPI inflation in Pakistan was also boosted by decreases in prices of pulse moong, petrol, diesel, LPG, pulse gram, bananas, eggs, and pulse mash.
Items that Increased as Inflation Decreased
A SPI inflation Pakistan decrease on a weekly basis cannot be taken to mean everything has been accounted for. From the 51 different items that form part of the SPI basket, 26 items – which comprise 50.98% of the total basket – increased in price in the same week.
The tomato witnessed the highest increase in price during the week with 7.17 percent increase, followed by the onion with a 6.08 percent increase, wheat flour with a 1.84 percent increase, and long cloth with an increase of 0.97 percent. On the other hand, cooking oil, potato, cooked daal, tea, curd, georgette, shirting, and lawn-printed fabric recorded some small increases.
These contrasting trends within the basket of goods indicate why SPI inflation Pakistan, when it is declining, may not necessarily bring any relief to consumers in the market environment.
SPI Inflation Pakistan Annually: Much Worse Picture Is Painted
While there is positive change on a weekly basis, the annual picture of inflation is quite harsh and alarming. Annual SPI inflation in Pakistan is 14.47%, which reflects significant rises in the prices of the most vital consumer goods.
The most pronounced annual increase was seen in the case of onions, which increased by 68.33%, followed by a rise of 62.24% in the price of petrol, a jump of 60.90% in diesel prices, and an annual increase of 59.45% in the price of wheat flour. The prices of LPG are 50.73% higher than last year’s while electricity prices in Q1 have increased by 43.30%.
The SPI inflation rate of 14.47% per year in Pakistan proves beyond doubt that despite any relief received by the consumers each week, the prices in the basic commodity basket continue to be significantly higher compared to last year at the same time.
How All Income Groups Suffer From the Annual Pressure
The income distribution by PBS groups shows that inflation by SPI inflation in Pakistan has been affecting all income groups without any exception annually. Lowest income groups, which earn annually below Rs17,732, have been affected by an increase of 11.79% in SPI, with the index rising from 300.18 to 335.56.
The middle-class families were not any different either. For families whose income ranges between Rs17,733 to Rs22,888, the SPI inflation rate is 14.32% per year. Meanwhile, for families having their income between Rs22,889 to Rs29,517, the SPI inflation rate is 12.84% per annum. On the other hand, the SPI inflation rate for the income range of Rs29,518 to Rs44,175 is 12.
Income-Based Weekly Inflation in SPI: Pakistan Picture Indicates Positive Changes
In the income-based analysis of weekly inflation in SPI for Pakistan, there is good news. The weekly SPI inflation in all the income brackets decreased for the week ended on May 21, 2026.
In the case of the low-income population, there was a drop of 0.06% per week. In addition, households with an income level of between Rs17,733 and Rs22,888 showed a fall of 0.28%. Moreover, the SPI for households having income between Rs22,889 and Rs29,517 decreased by 0.15%, whereas a 0.13% reduction occurred for individuals whose income ranged from Rs29,518 to Rs44,175 per week. The highest
Wide-ranging support from week to week for everyone is an indication of the significance attached to chicken, electricity, and garlic in the expenditure of each class.
