Pakistan’s annual inflation rate accelerated to 7% in February, up from 5.8% in January and 1.5% a year earlier, according to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.

On a month-on-month basis, consumer prices rose 0.3% in February, compared with a 0.4% increase in January.

Urban inflation rose 6.8% year on year in February, compared with 5.8% in the previous month and 1.8% a year earlier, while rural inflation increased 7.3% from 5.8% in January and 1.1% in February 2025, PBS said. On a monthly basis, both urban and rural inflation increased 0.3%

Food and energy pressures

According to PBS, food and non-alcoholic beverages, which carry a weight of 34.58% in the national index, declined 0.85% month on month but remained 5.82% higher than a year earlier.

Housing, water, electricity, gas and fuels increased 1.86% month on month and 9.65% year on year, while miscellaneous goods and services rose 3.36% month on month and 23.01% compared with February 2025.

PBS reported that electricity charges increased 10.03% month on month in urban areas and the same rate in rural areas. Gas charges were up 22.91% year on year in urban areas

Among food items, tomatoes rose 23.05% month on month in urban areas and 17.61% in rural areas. Fresh fruits increased 11.48% in urban areas and 11.47% in rural areas on a monthly basis.

On a yearly basis, tomatoes increased 82.05% in urban areas and 61.61% in rural areas, while wheat rose 42.63% in urban areas and 48.12% in rural areas compared with February 2025, PBS said.

Core inflation

Core inflation measured by non-food, non-energy (NFNE) items in urban areas eased slightly to 7.1% year on year in February from 7.2% in January, while rural NFNE inflation remained stable at 8.3%, PBS said.

PBS said that on a period-average basis from July to February, national CPI inflation stood at 5.46% in fiscal year 2025-26, compared with 5.85% in the same period a year earlier.