According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), an increase in the cost of both food and non-food products caused the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI)-based inflation for the week ending May 4, 2023, to rise by 1.05 percent and reach an all-time high of 48.35 percent on a yearly basis.

The year-over-year trend shows an increase of 48.35 percent for wheat flour, 177.61 percent for cigarettes, 146.44 percent for potatoes, 108.38 percent for gas charges for the first quarter, 104.28 percent for Lipton tea, 100.33 percent for Gents Sponge Chappal, 99.39 percent for diesel, 95.45 percent for eggs, 89.31 percent for rice Basmati Broken, 87.81 percent for petrol, 84.43 percent for rice I

In the meantime, there was a drop in the cost of tomatoes (down 50.09%), onions (10.03%), and powdered chilies (down 6.48%).

Out of 51 items, 30 (58.82 percent) saw price increases during the week, while 9 (1.75%) saw price decreases and 12 (2.35%) saw constant pricing.

Weekly variation
A major increase was observed in the prices of food items, Chicken (8.91 percent), Potatoes (3.99 percent), Powdered Milk (3.81 percent), Pulse Gramme (1.96 percent), Pulse Masoor (1.83 percent), Eggs (1.81 percent), Mutton (1.71 percent), Pulse Mash (1.58 percent), Cooked Daal (1.36 percent), and Bread (1.13 percent), non-food items, Gents Sponge Chappal (58.05 percent), Gents Sandal (33.36 percent), Ladies Sandal (14.31 percent) and Washing Soap (1.27 percent).

Onions (16.69%), garlic (3.44%), tomatoes (3.41%), diesel (1.70%), mustard oil (0.99%), LPG (0.96%), cooking oil 5 litre (0.40%), and each of the vegetable ghee 2.5kg & 1kg (0.10%) each saw a fall in price.