Pakistan: cost of living

What is the petrol price in Pakistan today?

Petrol cost Rs393.86 a litre from 15 October 2026, excluding secondary freight, according to the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) price publication for 15 October 2026. Diesel was Rs396.65 a litre. The petrol price included a petroleum levy of Rs80.00 and a climate support levy of Rs5.00 a litre; petrol and diesel were exempt from sales tax.

OGRA now publishes a price build-up every working day on its price publications page, based on a seven-working-day average of Gulf market prices and the rupee exchange rate, so the pump price moves often. Retail prices at individual pumps can be slightly higher because transport from the depot is added.

Official sources: OGRA: petrol and diesel price publication, 15 October 2026 (PDF) · OGRA: price publications

What are the income tax slabs in Pakistan for 2026-27?

For tax year 2027 (income from 1 July 2026), salaried individuals pay no tax on taxable income up to Rs600,000 a year, according to the Finance Act 2026 published by the Federal Board of Revenue. The rate is 1% on income from Rs600,000 to Rs1.2 million, then rises through 11%, 20%, 25%, 29% and 32% to 35% on income above Rs7 million.

The rates are marginal: each one applies only to the slice of income in that band, plus a fixed amount for the bands below (for example Rs1,424,000 plus 35% of income above Rs7 million). The table is the one substituted in the First Schedule of the Income Tax Ordinance 2001. Surcharges and other heads of income are set out separately in the Act.

Official sources: FBR: Finance Act 2026 (PDF)

What is the sales tax (GST) rate in Pakistan?

The standard rate of sales tax in Pakistan is 18%. The Federal Board of Revenue raised it from 17% to 18% in February 2023, as its Circular No. 1 of 2023 explains, and the Finance Act 2026 still refers to 18% as the rate for goods taxed at retail price under the Third Schedule.

Pakistan's federal sales tax works like VAT on goods. Some goods are exempt or zero-rated and some carry higher rates, so the rate on a given product can differ; petrol and diesel, for example, were exempt in October 2026. Sales tax on services is collected by the provinces at their own rates.

Official sources: FBR: Circular No. 1 of 2023 (PDF) · FBR: Finance Act 2026 (PDF)

What is the poverty rate in Pakistan?

28.9% of Pakistan's population lived below the national poverty line in 2024-25, up from 21.9% in 2018-19, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics Household Integrated Economic Survey as reported in the Pakistan Economic Survey 2025-26. Rural poverty was 36.2% and urban 17.4%. By province it ranged from 23.3% in Punjab to 47.0% in Balochistan.

The rate is based on consumption, using the cost-of-basic-needs poverty line. The World Bank carries the same 28.9% national figure. International poverty lines in dollars give different results, so check which line a figure uses.

Official sources: Pakistan Economic Survey 2025-26: Social Protection · World Bank: poverty at national lines, Pakistan

What is the poverty line in Pakistan?

Pakistan's national poverty line was Rs8,483.80 per adult equivalent per month in 2024-25, up from Rs3,757.85 in 2018-19, according to the Pakistan Economic Survey 2025-26, which uses the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics household survey (HIES 2024-25).

The line is the monthly spending needed to meet basic food and non-food needs, and it is set per adult equivalent, so a household's own line depends on how many adults and children it has. It is uprated with prices from a 2013-14 base to keep surveys comparable, which explains most of the rise since 2018-19. People whose consumption falls below it are counted in the 28.9% poverty rate.

Official sources: Pakistan Economic Survey 2025-26: Social Protection

What is the weekly SPI in Pakistan?

The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), which Pakistan Bureau of Statistics publishes each week for essential items, was 8.4% higher in September 2026 than a year earlier on a monthly average basis, according to the PBS Monthly Review on Price Indices for September 2026. It rose 1.0% from August.

The SPI tracks the prices of 51 essential goods, mostly food and fuel, in 17 cities, so it moves faster than the full consumer price index and is used to monitor the cost of daily necessities. The latest weekly release is listed on the PBS price statistics page. Because the basket is narrow, the SPI and CPI rates usually differ.

Official sources: PBS: Monthly Review on Price Indices, September 2026 (Word) · PBS: price statistics

How fast are prices rising in Pakistan?

According to the IMF, consumer price inflation in Pakistan was 3.5% in 2025. Its high point since 2005 was 2023, at 30.8%; its low point was 2015, at 2.5%. Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan median: 1.9%; Pakistan is 5th highest of 18. World rank, highest first: 68th of 165.

What is household spending per person in Pakistan?

In 2025, household consumption per person in Pakistan was $1,564, according to the World Bank. It is the top of the series, which starts in 2005. It is 11th highest of 11 in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, where the median is $2,629. World rank, highest first: 91st of 124.

What share of people in Pakistan live in extreme poverty?

According to the World Bank, the share of people living on less than $3.00 a day in Pakistan was 23.0% in 2024. The peak was 40.8% in 2005 and the low 16.5% in 2018.

What is the poverty rate in Pakistan?

In 2024, the share of people below the national poverty line in Pakistan was 28.9%, according to the World Bank. Its high point since 2005 was 2005, at 50.4%; its low point was 2018, at 22.2%. Of 31 countries with 2024 data, 9th highest.

What is Pakistan's Gini coefficient?

According to the World Bank, the Gini index in Pakistan was 33.5 in 2024. No year since 2005 has been higher.

How many people in Pakistan face food insecurity?

The latest figure from the FAO, for 2024, is 22.9%. The peak was 27.6% in 2021 and the low 12.1% in 2016. Across Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan the middle value was 24.2%, and Pakistan placed 8th highest of 13. Worldwide: 66th of 135.