By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s trade deficit swelled by 9 percent to $26.3 billion in the fiscal year 2024-25, as imports outpaced a modest rise in exports, data from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) showed on Wednesday.
Exports climbed 4.7 percent to $32.1 billion, while imports jumped 6.6 percent to $58.4 billion, deepening the gap in a challenge for the nation’s economy.
The trade balance, the difference between exports and imports, stood at a deficit of $24.1 billion in FY 2023-24, reflecting a $2.2 billion deterioration over the year. Exports rose from $30.7 billion in FY24, but imports surged from $54.8 billion, underscoring the difficulty in curbing external imbalances.
“Sustainable double-digit export growth will require political and economic stability, energy reforms, and global competitiveness,” said brokerage Topline Securities, pointing to the structural hurdles Pakistan faces in reversing the trend.
Despite the annual widening, the trade deficit in June 2025 narrowed slightly by 3.4 percent to $2.3 billion from $2.4 billion a year earlier. Exports edged down 0.6 percent to $2.54 billion from $2.56 billion in June 2024, while imports fell more sharply by 2 percent to $4.86 billion from $4.96 billion. On a month-on-month basis, the deficit shrank 9.5 percent from $2.57 billion in May 2025, hinting at a potential easing of pressure.
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