August CPI-based inflation clocks in at 11.1pc YoY

ISLAMABAD: The Consumer Price Index (CPI)-based inflation in August 2026 clocked in at 11.1 percent on a year-on-year (YoY) basis, compared to 9.2 percent in the previous month and 3.1 percent in August 2025, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

Data released by the PBS here on Monday revealed that on a month-on-month (MoM) basis, CPI remained unchanged at 1.2 percent in August 2026, compared to the previous month and a decrease of 0.6 percent in August 2025.

According to the PBS, CPI inflation (urban) increased by 10.4 percent on a YoY basis in August 2026 as compared to an increase of 8.7 percent in the previous month and an increase of 3.5 percent in August 2025.

On a month-on-month (MoM) basis, CPI Urban increased by 0.9 percent in August 2026 as compared to an increase of 1.2 percent in the previous month and a decrease of 0.7 percent in August 2025.

Rural CPI inflation increased by 12.2 percent on a YoY basis in August 2026 as compared to an increase of 9.9 percent in the previous month and an increase of 2.5 percent observed in August 2025.

On a MoM basis, it increased by 1.6 percent in August 2026 as compared to an increase of 1.2 percent in the previous month and a decrease of 0.5 percent in August 2025.

Sensitive Price Index (SPI) based inflation on a YoY basis increased by 9.5 percent in August 2026 as compared to an increase of 12 percent in the previous month and an increase of 2.6 percent in August 2025.

On a MoM basis, it increased by 0.9 percent in August 2026 as compared to 2.4 percent in the previous month and an increase of 3.2 percent in August 2025.

Wholesale Price Index (WPI) inflation on a YoY basis increased by 11.8 percent in August 2026 as compared to an increase of 9.4 percent in the previous month and a decrease of 1 percent in August 2025. On a MoM basis, it increased by 2 percent in August 2026 as compared to no change in the previous month and a decrease of 0.2 percent in August 2025.

Core inflation (NFNE), measured by non-food, non-energy (urban), increased by 8.8 percent on a YoY basis in August 2026 as compared to an increase of 8.6 percent in the previous month and an increase of 6.9 percent in August 2025.

On a MoM basis, it increased by 0.5 percent in August 2026 as compared to an increase of 0.7 percent in the previous month and an increase of 0.3 percent in August 2025.

Core Inflation (NFNE), measured by non-food, non-energy (rural), increased by 8.5 percent on a YoY basis in August 2026 as compared to an increase of 8.1 percent in the previous month and an increase of 7.8 percent in August 2025.

On a MoM basis, it increased by 0.6 percent in August 2026 as compared to 0.9 percent in the previous month and an increase of 0.2 percent in August 2025.

Core inflation (Trimmed), measured by the 20 percent weighted trimmed mean (urban), increased by 8.9 percent on a YoY basis in August 2026 as compared to an increase of 7.5 percent in the previous month and 4.2 percent in August 2025.

On a MoM basis, it increased by 0.4 percent in August 2026 as compared to an increase of 0.6 percent a month earlier and remained unchanged as compared to August 2025.

Measured by the 20 percent weighted trimmed mean (rural), increased by 9.1 percent on a YoY basis in August 2026 as compared to an increase of 8 percent in the previous month and 3.5 percent in August 2025. On a MoM basis, it increased by 1.1 percent in August 2026 as compared to an increase of 1 percent in the previous month and an increase of 0.3 percent in August 2025.

On a MoM basis, the prices of the following food items witnessed an increase: Onions, 45.87 percent, Eggs, 11.51 percent, potatoes, 6.82 percent, fresh vegetables, 5.50 percent, wheat, 5.25 percent, pulse gram, 4.77 percent, besan, 3.74 percent, wheat flour, 2.03 percent, wheat products, 1.67 percent, tea, 1.24 percent, gram whole,1.06 percent, pulse masoor, 0.99 percent, vegetable ghee, 0.64 percent, cooked food, 0.61 percent, and meat, 0.54 percent.

While prices of the following food items witnessed a decrease: Fresh fruits, 12.49 percent, beans, 4.54 percent, pulse moong, 2.47 percent, chicken, 1.88 percent, sugar, 0.77 percent, tomatoes, 0.67 percent, fish, 0.53 percent, bakery and confectionery, 0.36 percent, milk powder, 0.01 percent, and sweetmeat, 0.01 percent.

On monthly basis prices of the following non-food items witnessed an increase: Motor fuel, 5.61 percent, water supply, 4.15 percent, mechanical services, 1.81 percent, electricity charges, 1.70 percent, appliances/ articles/ products, 1.42 percent, transport services, 1.35 percent, medical tests, 1.11 percent, hospitals services, 1.10 percent, tailoring, 1.02 percent, Doctor (MBBS) Clinic Fee, 0.85 percent, drugs & medicines,0.85 percent, and construction input items, 0.78 percent.

The prices of the following non-food items registered a decrease: Liquefied Hydrocarbons, 1.31 percent, textbooks, 0.25 percent, motor vehicle accessories, 0.24 percent, and footwear, 0.04 percent.

On YoY basis prices of the following commodities registered an increase: Tomatoes, 128.13 percent, onions, 124.28 percent, wheat, 86.72 percent, wheat flour,73.12 percent, wheat products, 22.04 percent, fresh vegetables,16.78 percent, fresh fruits,16.18 percent, meat, 14.69 percent, ice cream, 12.09 percent, bakery and confectionary, 10.31 percent, dry fruits,9.27 percent, and milk products, 8.97 percent.

On a YoY basis, the prices of the following food items recorded a reduction: Potatoes, 23.14 percent, chicken, 18.51 percent, sugar, 17.01 percent, besan, 13.87 percent, pulse gram, 13.80 percent, gram whole, 12.64 percent, pulse masoor, 12.03 percent, beans, 11.41 percent, eggs, 11.36 percent, pulse moong, 6.86 percent and gur, 3.21 percent.

On a YoY basis, the prices of the following non-food items recorded an increase: Liquefied Hydrocarbons, 55.89 percent, motor vehicle tax, 38.68 percent, postal services, 34.88 percent, footwear, 29.29 percent, transport services, 28.72 percent, motor fuel,24.43 percent, personal effects, 23.36 percent, communication services,19.30 percent and newspapers, 14.84 percent. Only textbook prices witnessed a reduction of 1.96 percent.

On account of WPI on MoM basis prices of the following items registered an increase: Diesel oil, 14.08 percent, kerosene oil, 13.27 percent, vegetables, 13.21 percent, tobacco products, 9.71 percent, other cereal flour,7.52 percent, wheat, 7.23 percent, chemicals, 6.49 percent, motor spirit, 6.41 percent, eggs, 5.93 percent, and sugar confectionary, 5.74 percent.

Prices of following items witnessed a reduction on account of WPI: Sorghum/jowar,19.20 percent, fresh fruits, 5.51 percent, dry fruits, 3.63 percent, poultry, 3.42 percent, sugar refined, 1.09 percent, millet/bajra, 0.77 percent, dried fruits & nuts,0.70 percent, beverages, 0.60 percent, auto tyres, 0.56 percent, oil cakes, 0.40 percent, cotton seeds, 0.30 percent, fibre crops, 0.29 percent, natural gas liquefied, 0.22 percent, stimulant & spice crops, 0.16 percent, paints & varnishes, 0.08 percent and spices, 0.04 percent.

On YoY basis prices of the following items witnessed an increase on account of WPI: Wheat, 92.64 percent, wheat flour,74.10 percent, kerosene oil,62.84 percent, footwear,51.86 percent, vegetables, 48.84 percent, diesel oil, 46.05 percent, sorghum/jowar,38.13percent, furnace oil, 33.33 percent, mobil oil, 27.59 percent, motor spirit, 27.02 percent, woven fabrics, 25.04 percent, dried fruits & nuts,22.67 percent, maize, 20.83 percent, raw animal materials/wool, 19.36 percent and chemicals, 18.87 percent.

On YoY basis, the prices of the following items witnessed a reduction on account of WPI: Edible roots/potatoes,36.63 percent, stimulant &spice crops, 26.13 percent, sugar refined,19.65 percent, poultry, 18.58 percent, other cereal flour, 16.83 percent, pulses 15.47 percent, eggs, 15.41 percent, millet/bajra, 14.24 percent, dry fruits, 11.31 percent, sugar crops,3.52 percent, timber, 1.74 percent, cotton seeds, 1.57 percent and synthetic carpets, 1.44 percent.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026