Inflation in Pakistan, which had been declining for the past two weeks, has started to increase once again. During the recent week, there was a slight rise in the inflation rate, with an increase of 0.03 percent. The annual inflation rate now stands at 42.67 percent.
For individuals with a monthly income ranging from Rs17,733 to Rs22,888, the inflation rate reached 43.49 percent. In the past week, prices of 19 essential items in the country increased, while 14 items became cheaper, and the prices of 18 items remained stable.
According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) weekly report on inflation, prices of several basic necessities have risen. These include potato, onion, chicken, tomato, flour, lentils, lentil mash, sugar, salt, beef, mutton, raw milk, curd, jaggery, energy saver, tea leaves, and rice.
On the other hand, the prices of 14 items have decreased, including garlic, LPG, pulses, eggs, broken rice, mustard oil, and petroleum products. Additionally, the prices of 18 essential items remained unchanged.
The bureau reported that tomato prices increased by 1.11 percent, onion prices by 7.31 percent, chicken prices by 2.87 percent, tea prices by 1.56 percent, potato prices by 2.89 percent, salt prices by 1.08 percent, and energy saver prices by 2.16 percent.
Meanwhile, LPG prices rose by 4.46 percent, flour prices by 4.06 percent, egg prices by 2.57 percent, vegetable ghee prices by 1.87 percent, and dal prices by 1.27 percent. However, petrol prices fell by 2.96 percent, diesel prices by 1.94 percent, and mustard oil prices by 1.57 percent.
The statistics indicate that the inflation rate for individuals with a monthly income of up to Rs17,732 stood at 40.20 percent on an annual basis. For the income group ranging from Rs17,733 to Rs22,888 per month, the inflation rate was 43.49 percent. Similarly, for the income groups of Rs22,889 to Rs29,517, Rs29,518 to Rs44,175, and over Rs44,176 per month, the inflation rates were 42.87 percent, 42.38 percent, and 43.26 percent, respectively.
