ISLAMABAD: Inflation, measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), slowed to 9.6 per cent in October from 10.3pc a month earlier, mainly due to a slight easing in prices of perishable food products, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics said on Monday.
The deceleration for the second consecutive month reversed the sharp increase recorded in August, when higher food and energy prices pushed the annual rate to 11.1pc from 9.2pc in July.
Rural inflation eased to 9.5pc from 10.1pc, and urban inflation edged down to 9.8pc from 10.5pc.
The October reading was also within the Ministry of Finance’s projection of 9.5pc to 10.5pc in its Monthly Economic Update and Outlook. It linked this to a subsequent path sensitive to international energy prices, food supplies, and base effects.
Perishable food prices ease, transport costs soar
According to the finance ministry, easing headline inflation offers some relief, while improved crop supplies can help ease food price pressures.
However, despite the decline in the annual rate, prices rose 1.1pc month on month in October. The annual inflation was 6.2pc in October last year.
Average inflation between July and October stood at 10.05pc, compared with 4.79pc over the corresponding period last year.
The easing was largely driven by perishable food prices. Food inflation dropped to 7.8pc in urban areas in October from 8.1pc in September. The decline was much sharper in rural areas, where food inflation fell to 7.1pc from 7.7pc a month earlier.
However, non-food inflation moved in the opposite direction, indicating continued pressure on household expenses. Urban non-food inflation decelerated to 10.6pc from 11.5pc in September, while rural non-food inflation fell to 12.3pc from 13.1pc.
The latest data show that the composition of inflation shifted in October. Food inflation slowed sharply, while electricity and transport costs continued to rise. Electricity charges rose 8.50pc from the same month last year, while transport prices rose 30.39pc in urban areas.
At the national level, transport costs increased by 1.79pc in October from September and were 28.61pc higher than in the same month last year. Housing, water, electricity, gas and fuels rose 0.25pc during the month and 11.03pc on an annual basis.
Core inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy components, also eased slightly. It stood at 7.8pc in urban areas in October, compared with 8.6pc in September, while the rural rate declined to 7.1pc from 8.1pc.
The month-on-month increase in food items, include chicken (19.38pc), pulse gram (9.17pc), wheat (9.01pc), wheat flour (7.54pc), fresh vegetables (6.55pc), eggs (5.72pc), besan (5.54pc), gram whole (4.19pc), fresh fruits (2.70pc), wheat products (2.27pc), pulse mash (2.16pc), fish (1.42pc), dry fruits (1.37pc) and pulse masoor (1.29pc).
The decrease was recorded in tomatoes (31.63pc), onions (4.23pc), potatoes (4.04pc), sugar (2.17pc), pulse moong (0.59pc), dessert preparation (0.24pc), gur (0.11pc) and rice (0.06pc).
At the same time an increase was recorded in non-food prices which include liquefied hydrocarbons (8.39pc), motor fuel (3pc), cotton cloth (1.22pc), plastic products (0.97pc), house rent (0.94pc), drugs and medicines (0.90pc), hosiery (0.70pc), accommodation services (0.60pc), transport services (0.55pc), recreation and culture (0.54pc), household equipment (0.50pc) and education (0.41pc). However, a decline was recorded in electricity charges (3.31pc).
Published in Dawn, November 3rd, 2026
