By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Trade deficit widened sharply to $2.86 billion in November, jumping 33% from a year earlier, as exports tumbled and imports climbed, according to data released Tuesday by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
The gap between exports and imports stood at $2.15 billion in November 2024, the statistics agency said. The year-on-year expansion in the deficit was fueled by a 15.4% plunge in exports to $2.39 billion from $2.83 billion, while imports rose more than 5% to $5.25 billion from $4.98 billion.
On a monthly basis, the trade shortfall narrowed about 12% from $3.24 billion in October, reflecting declines in both exports and imports over the period. For the first five months of fiscal 2026, which runs from July through June, the trade deficit swelled more than 37% to $15.47 billion from $11.28 billion in the same stretch a year ago.
Exports during the July-to-November span dropped over 6% to $12.84 billion from $13.72 billion, while imports advanced 13% to $28.3 billion from $25 billion.
The figures come amid broader pressure on Pakistan’s external accounts. The country’s current account deficit ballooned 256% to $733 million in the first four months of the fiscal year through October, up from $206 million a year earlier, marking a $527 million widening.
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