Pakistan’s Trade Deficit Narrows to $3.4 Billion in September 2025

October 16, 2025 | 10:53 AM (PKT)

Pakistan’s revised trade deficit for September 2025 narrowed to $3.4 billion (₨960.6 billion), according to the latest provisional data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

Despite the month-on-month widening of the trade gap—driven by stronger import growth compared to exports—the overall deficit reflected signs of stabilization amid changing global and domestic dynamics.

During July–September FY2025–26, Pakistan’s cumulative trade deficit reached $9.43 billion (₨2.67 trillion).

Exports: Slight Monthly Growth, Annual Decline

Exports from Pakistan stood at $2.5 billion (₨704 billion) in September 2025, marking a 3.0% increase MoM from ₨683.2 billion ($2.42 billion) in August. However, exports dropped 10.8% YoY in rupee terms and 11.9% YoY in dollar terms compared to ₨789.2 billion ($2.84 billion) in September 2024.

For the first quarter of FY2025–26, exports totaled $7.6 billion (₨2.15 trillion), showing a decline of 2.3% YoY in rupee terms and 3.9% YoY in dollar terms.

Top Export Commodities

Leading export items in September 2025 were:

• Knitwear: ₨130.99 billion
• Readymade garments: ₨92.7 billion
• Bedwear: ₨80.98 billion
• Cotton cloth: ₨42.26 billion
• Towels: ₨24.22 billion
• Made-up articles (excl. towels & bedwear): ₨19.79 billion
• Rice (others): ₨17.81 billion
• Cotton yarn: ₨17.81 billion

Imports: Surge in Petroleum and Machinery

Pakistan’s import bill rose to ₨1.66 trillion ($5.9 billion) in September 2025 — an 11.3% MoM and 16.5% YoY increase. The rise was primarily driven by higher petroleum and machinery purchases.

For the first quarter of FY2025–26, total imports amounted to $17.03 billion (₨4.82 trillion), up 15.6% in rupees and 13.9% in dollars from the same period last year.

Top Imported Commodities

The import basket continued to be dominated by petroleum and industrial inputs.

Major imported items included:

• Petroleum crude: ₨152.73 billion
• Petroleum products: ₨114.41 billion
• Palm oil: ₨101.74 billion
• Electrical machinery & apparatus: ₨74.29 billion
• Plastic materials: ₨66.54 billion
• Iron and steel: ₨61.66 billion
• LNG: ₨58.59 billion
• Mobile phones: ₨56.17 billion
• Iron & steel scrap: ₨50.10 billion
• Motor cars (CKD/SKD): ₨43.10 billion

The latest data underscores Pakistan’s ongoing reliance on energy and manufacturing imports, even as the government pursues measures to curb the trade deficit and promote export diversification.