ISLAMABAD: The Consumer Price Index (CPI) based inflation increased to 20.7 percent on a year-on-year (YoY) basis in March 2024 as compared to an increase of 23.1 percent in the previous month, says the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). On average CPI stood at 27.06 per cent during the first nine months (July-March) of the current fiscal year compared to 27.26 per cent during the same period of the last fiscal year.
On a month-on-month (MoM) basis, it increased to 1.7 per cent in March 2024 as compared to no change observed in the previous month and an increase of 3.7 per cent in March 2023.
CPI inflation Urban increased to 21.9 per cent on a year-on-year basis in March 2024 as compared to an increase of 24.9 per cent in the previous month and 33.0 per cent in March 2023. On a month-on-month basis, it increased to 1.4 per cent in March 2024 as compared to an increase of 0.2 per cent in the previous month and an increase of 3.9 per cent in March 2023.
Nov CPI inflation rises to 29.2pc YoY
CPI inflation Rural increased to 19 per cent on a YoY basis in March 2024 as compared to an increase of 20.5 per cent in the previous month and 38.9 per cent in March 2023. On a month-on-month basis, it increased to 2.1 per cent in March 2024 as compared to a decrease of 0.3 per cent in the previous month and an increase of 3.5 per cent in March 2023.
The Sensitive Price Index (SPI) inflation on YoY increased to 25.9 per cent in March 2024 as compared to an increase of 30.4 per cent a month earlier and 40.4 per cent in March 2023. On a MoM basis, it increased by 2.1 per cent in March 2024 as compared to a decrease of 0.8 per cent a month earlier and an increase of 5.8 per cent in March 2023.
The Wholesale Price Index (WPI) inflation on a YoY basis increased to 14.8 per cent in March 2024 as compared to an increase of 18.7 per cent a month earlier and an increase of 37.5 per cent in March 2023. On a MoM basis, it increased by 1.3 per cent in March 2024 as compared to an increase of 1.1 per cent in the previous month and an increase of 4.7 per cent in the corresponding month of last year i.e. March 2023.
Measured by non-food non-energy Urban increased to 12.8 per cent on a YoY basis in March 2024 as compared to an increase of 15.5 per cent in the previous month and 18.6 per cent in March 2023. On a MoM basis, it increased by 0.1 per cent in March 2024 as compared to an increase of 0.3 per cent in the previous month, and an increase of 2.5 per cent in the corresponding month of last year i.e. March 2023.
Measured by non-food non-energy Rural increased to 20.0 per cent on a YoY basis in March 2024 as compared to an increase of 21.9 per cent in the previous month and 23.1 per cent in March 2023. On a MoM basis, it increased by 0.8 per cent in March 2024 as compared to an increase of 0.4 per cent in the previous month, and an increase of 2.4 per cent in the corresponding month of last year i.e. March 2023.
Measured by 20 per cent weighted trimmed mean Urban increased to 14.8 per cent on a YoY basis in March 2024 as compared to 16.0 per cent in the previous month and 28.7 per cent in March 2023. On a MoM basis, it increased by 0.6 per cent in March 2024 as compared to an increase of 0.3 per cent in the previous month and an increase of 2.7 per cent in the corresponding month of last year i.e. March 2023.
Measured by 20 per cent weighted trimmed mean Rural increased to 18.4 per cent on a YoY basis in March 2024 as compared to 21.3 per cent in the previous month and 35.0 per cent in March 2023. On a MoM basis, it increased to 0.9 per cent in March 2024 as compared to an increase of 0.4 per cent in the previous month and an increase of 2.9 per cent in the corresponding month of last year i.e. March 2023.
The National CPI for March 2024 increased to 1.71 per cent over February 2024 and increased to 20.68 per cent over the corresponding month of the last year i.e. March 2023.
The Urban Consumer Price Index for March 2024 increased to 1.43 per cent over February 2024 and increased to 21.90 per cent over the corresponding month of the last year i.e. March 2023.
On MoM basis, the top few commodities which varied from the previous month and increased in food include, tomatoes (52.14 per cent), onions (28.04 per cent), potatoes (23.65 per cent), fresh fruits (21.90 per cent), fresh vegetables (12.82 per cent), meat (3.99 per cent), moong (1.95 per cent), gram whole (1.92 per cent), beverages (1.75 per cent), sweetmeat (1.19 per cent), nimco (1.13 per cent), readymade food (1.08 per cent), sugar (0.65 per cent), condiments and spices (0.60 per cent), besan (0.60 per cent) and masoor (0.54 per cent) and decreased in chicken (5.54 per cent), cooking oil (3.42 per cent), eggs (2.78 per cent), wheat (2.02 per cent), wheat flour (1.29 per cent), vegetable ghee (0.80 per cent), mustard oil (0.79 per cent), bakery and confectionary (0.76 per cent) and dry fruits (0.06 per cent).
Among non-food items prices of which increased include; electricity charges (5.11 per cent), tailoring (3.13 per cent), liquified hydrocarbons (2.90 per cent), readymade garments (2.22 per cent), motor fuel (1.70 per cent), personal grooming services (1.36 per cent), personal effects (1.30 per cent), drugs and medicines (1.19 per cent) and decreased in transport services (6.43 per cent).
On YoY basis, the top few commodities which varied from the corresponding month of the previous year i.e. March 2023 in food which increased include; tomatoes (188.44 per cent), onions (84.06 per cent), fresh vegetables (55.31 per cent), condiments and spices (49.08 per cent), gur (44.04 per cent), sugar (37.29 per cent), potatoes (36.03 per cent), beans (34.52 per cent), wheat flour (32.68 per cent), beverages (27.69 per cent), maash (27.01 per cent), fish (25.13 per cent), dry fruits (24.48 per cent), sweetmeat (23.01 per cent), meat (22.42 per cent), and masoor (21.84 per cent) and decreased in cooking oil (22.59 per cent), vegetable ghee (20.13 per cent), mustard oil (15.78 per cent), fresh fruits (4.15 per cent), besan (0.68 per cent), and gram whole (0.38 per cent).
Among non-food which increased include; gas charges (318.74 per cent), electricity charges (73.08 per cent), newspapers (34.15 per cent), textbooks (33.70 per cent), accommodation services (30.61 per cent), washing soap/detergents/matchbox (24.17 per cent), woolen readymade garments (23.44 per cent), furniture and furnishing (22.20 per cent), transport services (21.93 per cent) and stationery (21.36 per cent) and decreased in liquefied hydrocarbons (1.60 per cent).
The Rural Consumer Price Index for March 2024 decreased to 2.13 per cent over February 2024 and increased to 18.97 per cent over the corresponding month of the last year i.e. March 2023.
On MoM basis, the top few commodities which varied from the previous month in food which increased include; tomatoes (56.91 per cent), onions (28.50 per cent), potatoes (26.23 per cent), fresh fruits (25.33 per cent), fresh vegetables (13.12 per cent), meat (2.78 per cent), nimco (2.67 per cent), condiments and spices (2.04 per cent), honey (1.84 per cent), beans (1.82 per cent), beverages (1.60 per cent), sweetmeat (1.51 per cent), butter (1.47 per cent), besan (1.43 per cent), bakery and confectionary (1.34 per cent), wheat products (1.13 per cent), milk products (1.09 per cent) and pulse moong (1.07 per cent) and decreased in eggs (4.44 per cent), chicken (3.99 per cent), wheat (1.47 per cent), pulse mash (1.39 per cent), mustard oil (0.75 per cent), wheat flour (0.68 per cent), masoor (0.67 per cent) and gram whole (0.58 per cent).
Among non-food items process of which increased include; electricity charges (5.11 per cent), liquefied hydrocarbons (4.11 per cent), tailoring (3.60 per cent), cotton cloth (3.18 per cent), woolen cloth (2.60 per cent), furniture and furnishing (2.53 per cent), dopatta (2.51 per cent), education (2.02 per cent), solid fuel (1.90 per cent), motor fuels (1.84 per cent), personal effects (1.69 per cent), household equipments (1.63 per cent), readymade garments (1.46 per cent) and decreased in transport services (1.78 per cent).
The YoY top few commodities which varied from the corresponding month of the previous year i.e. March 2023 in food which increased include; tomatoes (183.36 per cent), onions (70.67 per cent), fresh vegetables (67.63 per cent), gur (43.47 per cent), wheat flour (40.71 per cent), sugar (40.42 per cent), beans (38.21 per cent), potatoes (36.78 per cent), beverages (26.96 per cent), pulse mash (25.20 per cent), fish (23.61 per cent), bakery and confectionary (23.35 per cent), meat (23.26 per cent), butter (23.18 per cent), milk products (23.05 per cent), nimco (22.38 per cent), ice cream (22.27 per cent), milk powder (21.05 per cent) and tea (21.01 per cent) and decreased in cooking oil (21.68 per cent), vegetable ghee (19.25 per cent), mustard oil (11.96 per cent), fresh fruits (10.68 per cent), pulse gram (0.53 per cent) and chicken (0.29 per cent).
Among non-food which increased include; electricity charges (73.08 per cent), text books (50.15 per cent), newspapers (46.34 per cent), transport services (45.94 per cent), woolen readymade garments (38.42 per cent), appliances/articles/products for personal care (33.28 per cent), water supply (31.65 per cent), washing soaps, detergents and match box (27.99 per cent), dopatta (26.95 per cent) and furniture & furnishing (24.70 per cent).
The Wholesale Price Index for March 2024 increased by 1.25 per cent over February 2024. It increased to 14.78 per cent over the corresponding month of the last year i.e. March 2023.
The top few commodities which varied from the previous month and increased in fresh fruits (33.12 per cent), edible roots/potatoes (26.41 per cent), concrete mixture (11.60 per cent), vegetables (10.96 per cent), cotton fabrics (7.57 per cent), stimulant and spice crops (6.48 per cent), electrical energy (5.68 per cent), maize (5.16 per cent), sugar crops (4.82 per cent), sorghum/jowar (4.15 per cent), fertilisers (3.98 per cent), meat of animals (3.65 per cent), millet/bajra (3.20 per cent), woven fabrics (2.10 per cent), motor spirit (2.06 per cent) and electric wires (1.87 per cent) and decreased in poultry (7.66 per cent), printing paper (3.55 per cent), air conditioners (2.94 per cent), wheat flour (2.2 per cent), wheat (2.06 per cent), coffee and tea (1.99 per cent), furnace oil (1.48 per cent), dry fruits (0.50 per cent), cement (0.24 per cent), raw animal materials/wool (0.16 per cent), dried fruits and nuts (0.05 per cent), and spices (0.04 per cent).
YoY top few commodities which varied from previous year which increased include unmanufactured tobacco (89.77 per cent), vegetables (74.29 per cent), spices (71.27 per cent), natural gas liquefied (71.24 per cent), concrete mixture (61.59 per cent), engines and motors (58.83 per cent), sugar crops (51.56 per cent), electrical energy (49.43 per cent), edible roots / potatoes (44.19 per cent), sugar refined (38.54 per cent), insecticides (35.48 per cent), quilts (33.93 per cent), fertilisers (32.29 per cent), glass sheets (31.83 per cent), dyeing material (30.82 per cent), other glass articles (30.50 per cent) and fruit juices (29.89 per cent) and decreased in vegetable ghee (21.09 per cent), other oil seeds (18.55 per cent), maize (15.19 per cent), chemicals (14.94 per cent), printing paper (13.17 per cent), cotton seeds (10.03 per cent), fresh fruits (7.90 per cent), vegetable oils refined (7.72 per cent), stimulant and spice crops (6.49 per cent), diesel oil (4.67 per cent), and millet/bajra (4.28 per cent).
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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