Pakistan headline inflation in December rose 29.7 percent year on year — statistics bureau 

A man sits in front of closed shops along a roadside in Peshawar on September 2, 2023. (AFP/File)
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Updated 01 January 2024
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Pakistan headline inflation in December rose 29.7 percent year on year — statistics bureau 

  • Pakistan experienced highest ever inflation in 2023, with its currency dipping to historic lows 
  • Monthly inflation for December registered a 0.8 percent increase from the previous month 

KARACHI: Pakistan’s consumer price index (CPI) for December rose 29.7 percent from a year before, data from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics showed on Monday. 

The country of 241 million people experienced its highest ever inflation in 2023, with its currency dipping to historic lows until a $3 billion IMF bailout averted an imminent sovereign default in July. 

Monthly inflation for December registered a 0.8 percent rise from the previous month. 

Mohammed Sohail, CEO of Topline Securities, said that inflation in Pakistan was showing some signs of slowdown based on month on month inflation data. 

“With lower local oil prices we may see decline in the year-on-year inflation in January and February,” added Sohail. 

The central bank governor said on Friday Pakistan’s inflation rate would ease to around 20 percent-22 percent in the 2024 financial year, in a report issued weeks ahead of a national election it is hoped will help restore political and economic stability. 

Bank chief Jameel Ahmed also said in his report that CPI surged to 29.2 percent in 2023, around the upper bound of the bank’s revised projections. 

He added that the central bank would keep inflation expectations anchored to achieve its medium-term target of 5 percent-7 percent. 


Pakistan finance chief calls for stronger emerging market voice during Saudi conference

Updated 12 February 2026
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Pakistan finance chief calls for stronger emerging market voice during Saudi conference

  • Aurangzeb tells Saudi state media developing economies must assume larger global role
  • Minister says AlUla conference can strengthen coordination among emerging economies

KARACHI: Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Thursday called for developing economies to play a greater role in shaping global economic governance in an interview on the sidelines of the AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies in Saudi Arabia.

The conference, hosted by the Kingdom’s Finance Ministry, brings together top government functionaries, central bank governors and policymakers from emerging markets to discuss debt sustainability, macroeconomic coordination and structural reforms amid global economic uncertainty.

In a conversation with the Saudi Press Agency, Aurangzeb described the conference as a timely platform for dialogue at a moment of heightened geopolitical tensions, trade fragmentation and rapid technological change, including advances in artificial intelligence.

“It is not merely about discussions but about translating deliberations into concrete policy actions and execution over the course of the year,” he said, according to a statement circulated by the Finance Division in Islamabad.

The minister said emerging markets’ growing share of global output and growth should be matched by greater influence in international decision-making.

He noted these economies must strengthen collective dialogue and coordinated policy responses to address shared challenges, adding that the global landscape had evolved significantly since the inaugural edition of the conference.

Aurangzeb expressed confidence that the outcomes of the AlUla Conference would contribute to strengthening coordination among emerging economies and reinforcing their collective voice in shaping a more inclusive and resilient global economic order, the statement added.