Weekly Inflation in Pakistan Falls 0.04% as Tomatoes Drop 23%, Yearly Rate 11.38%

Weekly inflation in Pakistan fell 0.04% in the week ended 15 October 2026, the first weekly drop in ten weeks. The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) put its Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) at 372.43, against 372.58 a week earlier. The yearly rate eased to 11.38% from 11.97%.

A 23.05% fall in tomatoes did the work. Without it the index would have risen. Wheat flour, chicken and pulse gram all got dearer again, and 23 of the 51 items tracked went up. We read the PBS release page, its executive summary and the full report on 17 October 2026. Every figure below comes from those documents unless we say it is our own arithmetic.

The weekly SPI fell 0.04% to 372.43 and the yearly rate eased to 11.38%

The SPI for the week ended 15 October 2026 was 372.43, down 0.04% from 372.58. PBS published it on 16 October. Prices were 11.38% higher than in the same week of 2025, when the index stood at 334.39. A basket that cost Rs 1,000 a year ago now costs about Rs 1,114, on our arithmetic.

Of the 51 items PBS tracks, 23 went up, 7 went down and 21 did not move. More items rose than fell, yet the index still dipped. That is because tomatoes fell so hard. PBS lists the index weight for each item, and we use those weights below to size each move.

Every group saw a small fall. The highest spending group still faces the fastest yearly rise, at 12.09%, while the lowest spending group sees 8.19%. Last week's report is in our piece on the SPI for the week ended 8 October, and the groups are explained in the guide to the SPI by income group.

Tomatoes fell 23.05% and took 0.23 points off the index

The average price of a kilo of tomatoes fell from Rs 155.21 to Rs 119.43, a drop of 23.05%. By PBS weights, tomatoes took about 0.23 points off the combined index. Onions fell 4.90% to Rs 180.99 a kilo. Petrol fell 0.70% and took off a further 0.07 points.

These seven items fell in price:

PBS does not say why tomatoes fell. It only records the price. The petrol figure here is the price PBS records for petrol super in its own survey. Our latest fuel report is the petrol price for 17 October.

Pulse gram rose 4.97%, flour 3.36% and chicken 3.31%

The biggest rises were in pulse gram, wheat flour and chicken. Together, these three added about 0.23 points to the combined index. That is almost exactly what tomatoes took away. Flour and chicken were already the big movers last week, so these are second rises in a row.

• Pulse gram: Rs 286.06 to Rs 300.29 a kilo, up 4.97%
• Wheat flour, 20 kg bag: Rs 2,851.04 to Rs 2,946.72, up 3.36%
• Live broiler chicken: Rs 383.31 to Rs 395.98 a kilo, up 3.31%
• Eggs: Rs 260.80 to Rs 263.39 a dozen, up 0.99%
• LPG 11.67 kg cylinder: Rs 5,132.47 to Rs 5,154.16, up 0.42%
• Diesel: Rs 397.02 to Rs 398.89 a litre, up 0.47%

Over two weeks, a 20 kg flour bag has gone from Rs 2,697.45 on 1 October to Rs 2,946.72, a rise of Rs 249.27 or 9.24%. That is our own arithmetic from the PBS tables. The city detail for flour is in our report on the flour price in Pakistan. PBS gives no reason for the flour, chicken or gram rises.

Onions are 75% dearer than last year and flour 35%

Compared with the week ended 16 October 2025, onions cost 75.19% more. LPG is up 68.95%, electricity for the lowest group 58.59%, petrol 49.60% and diesel 43.98%. Wheat flour is up 35.13% and chicken 20.77%. These are the items that hurt household budgets most.

A 20 kg bag of flour averages Rs 2,946.72 now, against Rs 2,180.64 a year ago. That is Rs 766.08 more per bag, or about Rs 1,532 more a month for a family that buys two bags. Some items are cheaper than last year: tomatoes by 63.65%, potatoes by 39.93%, sugar by 23.20% and eggs by 19.83%.

If your income has not moved by about 11% in the past year, you are buying less than you did. Our guide on the raise needed to match inflation shows how to work this out.

Nine weekly rises in a row end with a 0.04% fall

The SPI rose in each of the previous nine weeks in the table below. This week breaks that run. The yearly rate peaked at 11.97% last week and is now 11.38%, still above the 8.62% of 10 September.

One week does not make a trend. Tomatoes can swing quickly, and the items that rose are staples. The monthly measure is different: the official inflation rate for September 2026 was 10.3%. The difference between the weekly and monthly measures is explained in the guide to CPI, SPI and WPI.

To check the next release yourself, follow these steps:

1. Open the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics website and find the weekly Sensitive Price Indicator page.
2. Choose the release for the week you want and open the executive summary.
3. Read the combined SPI and the weekly and yearly changes in the first table.
4. Find your income group in the quintile table and compare the items you buy.

Common questions about the 15 October SPI

What was weekly inflation in Pakistan for the week ended 15 October 2026?

The SPI fell 0.04% to 372.43 from 372.58. It is the first weekly fall in the ten weeks PBS shows in its report.

What is the yearly inflation rate on the SPI?

The year on year change is 11.38%, down from 11.97% the week before. It compares 15 October 2026 with 16 October 2025.

Which items got cheaper this week?

Seven items fell: tomatoes by 23.05%, onions 4.90%, bananas 2.59%, petrol 0.70%, basmati broken rice 0.65%, sugar 0.62% and gur 0.36%.

Which items got dearer this week?

Pulse gram rose 4.97%, wheat flour 3.36% and chicken 3.31%. Eggs, pulse mash, pulse masoor, firewood, diesel and LPG also rose.

Is the SPI the same as the official inflation rate?

No. The SPI tracks 51 items in 17 cities every week. The official monthly rate uses the Consumer Price Index, which covers more items and is published once a month.

When does PBS publish the next SPI?

PBS has released each weekly SPI on the Friday after the week ends on Thursday. The next one covers the week ending 22 October 2026.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked 17 October 2026. The SPI, the item prices, the weights and the ten week table come from the PBS release for the week ended 15 October 2026, published on 16 October 2026, which we opened on the PBS website. The Rs 1,114 basket, the flour changes over two weeks and a year, and the points taken off or added to the index are our own arithmetic from those tables. PBS does not explain the price moves.