Pakistan inflation rises to 11.53% as weekly prices edge up

Pakistan's annual inflation rate rose to 11.53%, with prices increasing 0.21% on a weekly basis, according to the latest data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.

The bureau reported that prices of 20 items increased during the week under review, 10 commodities became cheaper and the prices of 21 items remained unchanged. Chicken recorded the highest weekly increase, rising 7.25%, followed by garlic, which became 1.85% more expensive, and gram pulse, up 1.30%. Liquefied petroleum gas rose 1.17%, eggs 0.72% and rice 0.55%, according to the PBS data. Among the items that became cheaper over the week were diesel, down 3.43%, bananas, down 1.52%, sugar, down 1.05%, potatoes, down 0.96%, and petrol, down 0.65%, while moong pulse fell 0.63%.

On an annual basis, onions recorded the largest increase, with their price rising 114.20%, the PBS said. LPG became 66.59% more expensive, electricity charges increased 58.59%, diesel prices surged 44.50% and petrol rose 44.05%. The annual increase in the price of wheat flour stood at 32.65%, while chilli powder became 15.55% more expensive. Several food items recorded significant annual declines: tomato prices fell 45.52%, potatoes became 39.54% cheaper, sugar declined 21.95%, egg prices dropped 17.47% and powdered salt became 14.81% cheaper compared with the same period last year.

The PBS data also showed that inflation had been recorded at 10.3% in September, highlighting continued pressure on household budgets despite declines in the prices of several food items.