Beef and Mutton Priced Highest in Islamabad Across the Nation

The price dynamics of mutton have displayed significant fluctuations compared to beef over the years, despite both experiencing similar overall inflation, as revealed by a survey conducted by Gallup Pakistan. This analysis provides a comprehensive insight into the evolving economic landscape, shedding light on its impact on the cost of living for Pakistan’s citizens. The study spans from February 2020 to December 2023, exploring the price volatility of 51 essential commodities across 17 cities, with a focus on the comparative prices of 1kg of average-quality beef and mutton.

In December 2023, Islamabad registered the highest prices for both beef and mutton, with Rs. 1,045.15 for beef and Rs. 2,044.86 for mutton. Conversely, Bannu recorded the lowest prices at Rs. 700 for beef and Rs. 1,400 for mutton.

Prices for 1kg of beef varied by Rs. 345.15, while mutton prices varied by Rs. 644.86 across the 17 cities. Islamabad had the greatest difference from the average beef price, recording a 26.7% variation. For mutton, Islamabad had a 19.66% difference above the average.

Among the 17 cities, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Karachi, Lahore, Quetta, Faisalabad, and Gujranwala had beef prices higher than the average, while Multan, Sargodha, Sialkot, Larkana, Bahawalpur, Khuzdar, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Peshawar, and Bannu had lower prices. For mutton, Islamabad, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Karachi, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Multan, Larkana, and Quetta had prices above the average, while Peshawar, Hyderabad, Bahawalpur, Sargodha, Khuzdar, Sukkur, and Bannu had lower prices.

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In terms of percentage change, Bahawalpur experienced the highest increase at 117.65% for beef, and Lahore had the highest increase at 110.35% for mutton. Overall, beef prices increased by 90.49%, with Bahawalpur recording the highest increase at 117.65% and Hyderabad the lowest at 68.49%. For mutton, the average price increased by 91.41%, with Lahore having the highest increase at 110.35% and Sargodha the lowest at 60.07%.

In February 2020, 1kg of mutton cost 2.06 times as much as 1kg of beef on average. This ratio slightly increased to 2.07 in December 2023. Notably, the prices were closest in November and December 2021 at a relative price ratio of 2.01 and farthest in May 2023 at a relative price of 2.12.