Pakistan’s inflation rate turns negative for first time in 7 years

ISLAMABAD: Inflation based on Sensitive Price Index (SPI) in Pakistan decreased on a year-on-year basis by 0.87 percent for the week ended March 6, 2025, marking the first time it turned negative in almost seven years, according to Topline Securities.

Major declines are noted in commodity prices, like onions (64.92 percent), tomatoes (57.05 percent), wheat flour (36.81 percent), and chilies powder (20.00 percent).

However, some items noted a significant price rise: ladies sandal (75.09 percent), bananas (30.96 percent), pulse moong (26.90 percent), and powdered milk (25.86 percent).

Comparison of the current week’s SPI-based inflation with the preceding one shows a decrease of 0.09 percent owing to reduced prices of onions (5.59 percent), tea lipton (4.47 percent), garlic (3.89 percent), and tomatoes (3.60 percent). Prices of 13 out of 51 items increased, 20 decreased, and 18 remained steady during the week.