ISLAMABAD: The Consumer Price Index (CPI)-based inflation clocked in at 1.5 percent on a Year-on-Year (YoY) basis in February 2025 as compared to 2.4percent in the previous month and 23.1percent in February 2024, says the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).
Average CPI in the country remained at 5.85percent during the first eight months (July-February) 2024-25 compared to 27.96percent during the same period of last fiscal year.
On Month-on-Month (MoM) basis, it decreased by 0.8percent in February 2025 as compared to an increase of 0.2percent in the previous month and no change in February 2024.
CPI Urban decreased to 1.8percent on YoY basis in February 2025 as compared to 2.7percent in the previous month and 24.9percent in February 2024. On month-on-month basis, it decreased by 0.7percent in February 2025 as compared to an increase of 0.2percent in the previous and corresponding month of last year i.e. February 2024.
CPI Rural decreased to 1.1percent on YoY basis in February 2025 as compared to 1.9percent in the previous month and 20.5percent in February 2024. On MoM basis, it decreased by 1.1percent in February 2025 as compared to an increase of 0.2percent in the previous month and a decrease of 0.3percent in February 2024.
The Sensitive Price Index (SPI) inflation on YoY decreased to 0.2percent in February 2025 as compared to 0.7percent a month earlier and 30.4percent in February 2024. On MoM basis, it decreased by 1.6percent in February 2025 as compared to a decrease of 1.4percent a month earlier and a decrease of 0.8percent in February 2024.
The Wholesale Price Index (WPI) inflation on YoY basis decreased to 0.7percent in February 2025 as compared to 0.6percent a month earlier and an increase of 18.7percentin February 2024. On MoM basis, it decreased by 0.2percentin February 2025 as compared to an increase of 0.2percent in the previous month and 1.1percent change was observed in corresponding month of last year i.e. February 2024.
Measured by non-food non-energy Urban remained stable at 7.8percent on YoY basis in February 2025 as compared to the previous month and an increase of 15.5percent in February 2024. On MoM basis, it increased by 0.3percent in February 2025 as compared to 0.8percent in previous month and an increase of 0.3percent in corresponding month of last year i.e. February 2024.
Measured by non-food non-energy Rural also remained unchanged at 10.4percent on YoY basis in February 2025 as compared to the previous month and 21.9percent in February 2024. On MoM basis, it increased by 0.4percent in February 2025 as compared to an increase of 0.9 percent in previous month and an increase of 0.4 percent in corresponding month of last year i.e. February 2024. Core inflation (trimmed) measured by 20percent weighted trimmed mean urban decreased to 4.6percent on YoY basis in February 2025 as compared to 5.4percent in the previous month and 16 percent in February 2024. On MoM basis, it increased by 0.1percentin February 2025 as compared to an increase of 0.6percent in the previous month and an increase of 0.3percentin corresponding month of last year i.e. February 2024.
Measured by 20percent weighted trimmed mean rural decreased to 5.2percenton YoY basis in February 2025 as compared 5.4in the previous month and 21.3percentin February 2024. On MoM basis, it increased by 0.1percent in February 2025 as compared an increase of 0.7percent in the previous month and an increase of 0.4percentin February 2024.
The National Consumer Price Index for February 2025 is decreased by 0.83percent over January 2025 and increased to 1.52percent over corresponding month of the last year.
Prices of the following food items witnessed an increase on Month-on-Month (MoM) basis in February as compared with January 2025: Fresh fruits (14.99percent), sugar (9.35percent), butter (5.61percent), condiments and spices (1.59percent), bakery and confectionary (1.19percent), beverages (1.16percent), honey (1.12percent), vegetable ghee (0.66percent), meat (0.46percent), rice (0.39percent), cooking oil (0.35percent), readymade food (0.33percent), beans (0.21percent) and milk powder (0.03percent). Prices of the following food items witnessed decreased on MoM basis in February as compared with January 2025: tomatoes (56.76percent), onions (31.49percent), potatoes (20.10percent), fresh vegetables (16.73percent), eggs (14.23percent), pulse gram (10.21percent), tea (10.03percent), besan (8.68percent), gram whole (5.46percent), wheat (2.97percent), pulse mash (2.82percent), wheat flour (2.23percent), chicken (1.51percent), masoor (1.49percent), moong (1.33percent), wheat products (1.25percent), mustard oil (1.19percent), fish (0.12percent) and milk products (0.10percent).
Prices of the following non-food items witnessed an increase on MoM basis in February as compared with January 2025: Accommodation services (5.07percent), major tools and equipments (1.16percent), mechanical services (0.89percent), doctor (MBBS) clinic fee (0.80percent), motor fuel (0.75percent), construction wage rates (0.74percent), plastic products (0.63percent), dental services (0.51percent) and furniture and furnishing (0.48percent).
Prices of the following non-food items witnessed an increase on MoM basis in February as compared with January, 2025: Liquefied hydrocarbons (8.32percent), solid fuel (1.48percent), transport services (0.97percent), construction input items (0.49percent), electricity charges (0.28percent) and stationery (0.21percent).
Prices of the following food items witnessed an increase on Year-on-Year (YoY) basis in February as compared with January 2025: Moong (32.65percent), besan (28.97percent), pulse gram (25.40percent), potatoes (22.88percent), fresh fruits (21.55percent), butter (21.12percent), honey (20.77percent), milk powder (20.58percent), meat (18.59percent), vegetable ghee (16.61percent), fish (15.93percent), gram whole (13.10percent), beans (11.63percent), mustard oil (11.27percent), milk fresh (11.14percent), milk products (8.62percent), cooking oil (8.06percent), sugar (7.21percent) and beverages (6.84percent).
Prices of the following food items witnessed a reduction on YoY basis in February as compared with January 2025: Onions (56.59percent), tomatoes (48.42percent), wheat (36.13percent), wheat flour (34.70percent), fresh vegetables (27.04percent), maash (12.19percent), wheat products (12.12percent), masoor (11.22percent), tea (10.20percent), eggs (9.36percent), rice (5.19percent), bakery and confectionary (0.28percent) and chicken (0.14percent).
Prices of the following non-food items witnessed an increase on YoY basis in February as compared with January 2025 Increased: Motor vehicle tax (168.79 percent), footwears (31.9percent), dental services (26.55percent), drugs and medicines (16.53percent) and medical tests (15.48percent). Prices of the following non-food items witnessed a reduction on YoY basis in February as compared with January 2025: electricity charges (16.58percent), motor fuel (5.09percent), liquefied hydrocarbons (2.76percent) and communication apparatus (1.19percent).
The Rural Consumer Price Index for February 2025 is decreased by 1.10percent over January 2025 and increased to 1.09percent over corresponding month of the last year i.e. February 2024.
Prices of the following food items witnessed an increase on MoM basis in February as compared with January, 2025: Fresh fruits (13.97percent), sugar (9.73percent), meat (0.91percent), condiments and spices (0.57percent), honey (0.56percent), beverages (0.51percent), readymade food (0.5percent) and milk fresh (0.44percent).
Prices of the following food items witnessed a reduction on MoM basis in February as compared with January, 2025: Tomatoes (55.57percent), onions (28.14percent), potatoes (26.59percent), fresh vegetables (19.74percent), eggs (19.65percent), pulse gram (8.81percent), besan (5.42percent), tea (4.87percent), gram whole (4.48percent), maash (4.30percent), chicken (3.25percent), wheat flour (2.30percent), masoor (2.22percent), wheat (1.50percent) and cooking oil (1.08percent).
Prices of the following non-food items witnessed an increase on MoM basis in February as compared with January 2025: Cleaning and laundering (2.88percent), recreation and culture (1.46percent), major tools and equipments (0.99percent) and dental services (0.95percent). Prices of the following non-food items witnessed a reduction on MoM basis in February as compared with January 2025: Liquefied hydrocarbons (5.82percent), construction input items (1.31percent) and electricity charges (0.28percent).
Prices of the following food items witnessed an increase on YoY basis in February 2025 against February 2024: Besan (33.86percent), moong (32.16percent), pulse gram (30.68percent), milk powder (26.42percent), meat (21.01percent), honey (20.5percent), potatoes (20.27percent), fresh fruits (19.83percent), butter (18.22percent), vegetable ghee (16.98percent), fish (14.94percent), cooking oil (14.44percent), dry fruits (12.13percent), gram whole (11.01percent), mustard oil (10.63percent), milk fresh (10.03percent), beans (9.34percent), readymade food (9.05percent), milk products (7.84percent), cigarettes (6.87percent), sugar (6.84percent), beverages (6.42percent).
Prices of the following food items witnessed a reduction on YoY basis in February 2025 against February 2024: Onions (54.71percent), tomatoes (43.89 percent), wheat (36.74 percent), wheat flour (36.52 percent), fresh vegetables (30.05 percent), wheat products (13.15percent), eggs (10.6 percent), maash (10.13percent), masoor (7.05percent), tea (5.89percent), rice (5.60percent), chicken (2.86percent).
Prices of the following non-food items witnessed an increase on YoY basis in February 2025 against February 2024: Motor vehicle tax (126.61percent), education (24.49percent), dental services (19.53percent), drugs and medicines (17.96percent), recreation and culture (16.25percent), cotton cloth (15.5 percent), woolen readymade garments (15.39percent), furniture and furnishing (13.75percent), plastic products (13.66percent) and stationery (12.55percent).
Prices of the following non-food items witnessed a decrease on YoY basis in February 2025 against February 2024: Electricity charges (16.58percent), motor fuels (5.65percent) and liquefied hydrocarbons (3.33percent).
The Wholesale Price Index for February, 2025 witnessed a reduction of 0.18percent over January 2025 and WPI witnessed a decrease of 0.66percent over February 2024.
Prices of the following food items witnessed an increase on MoM basis in February 2025 against January 2025: Fresh fruits (21.71percent), sugar refined (8.39percent), electric wires (6.38percent), kerosene oil (4.30percent), readymade garments (3.44percent), diesel oil (3.08percent), glass sheets (2.64percent), hosiery products (2.17percent), plastic products (2.08 percent), motor vehicles (1.90percent), chemicals (1.78percent), sugar crops (1.34percent), medicines (1.17percent), furnace oil (1.11percent), soaps and detergents (1.03percent), stimulant and spice crops (0.91percent) and motor spirit (0.90percent).
Prices of the following food items witnessed a reduction on MoM basis in February 2025 against January 2025: Vegetables (23.91percent), edible roots/potatoes (17.30percent), eggs (10.43percent), other cereal flour (8.48percent), wheat flour (4.22percent), fibre crops (4.19percent), pulses (3.92percent), cement (3.69percent), coal not agglomerated (3.67percent), wheat (2.75percent), bricks, blocks and tiles (1.62percent), poultry (1.44percent), sorghum/jowar (1.40percent) and vegetable ghee (0.96percent).
Prices of the following food items witnessed an increase on YoY basis in February 2025 against February 2024: Sugar confectionary (32.38percent), fresh fruits (29.87percent), other cereal flour (29.05percent), electric wires (27.08percent), millet/bajra (25.79percent), processed liquid milk (25.45percent), other fabrics (23.11percent), bed-sheets (21.74percent) and vegetable ghee (19.63percent).
Prices of the following food items witnessed a reduction on YoY basis in February 2025 against February 2024: Vegetables (46.53Percent), wheat (38percent), wheat flour (36.37percent), spices (18.98percent), fibre crops (17.29percent), stimulant and spice crops (14.72percent), electrical energy (12.38percent), furnace oil (10.49percent), steel bar and sheets (8.75percent) and rice (8.55percent).
Reuters adds: Annual inflation rate slowed to 1.5% in February, the lowest in nearly a decade and below the finance ministry’s estimates, data from the statistics bureau showed on Monday.
Inflation has cooled significantly, easing from 23.1% in February 2024.
Consumer prices in February fell 0.8% from the month before, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
The South Asian country, currently bolstered by a $7 billion facility from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) granted in September, is navigating an economic recovery.
Authorities have credited inflation’s downward trend to economic stabilization under a the IMF programme.
Pakistan’s finance ministry, in its monthly economic outlook report released last week, predicted inflation would stabilize in February between 2.0-3.0%, continuing its downward trend from the previous year. The ministry also forecast a slight increase to 3.0-4.0% by March 2025.
“A favorable base effect from last year’s high inflation contributed to this result. We anticipate an uptick in food inflation during Ramzan,” said Waqas Ghani, head of research at JS Global, adding that the data was primarily driven by a decline in food inflation, with significant price drops in staples.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
