BeNewz
Related Articles
Aftab Maken
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s merchandise trade deficit widened by more than 21 percent during fiscal year 2025-26, reaching $39.47 billion, as import growth significantly outpaced exports, according to provisional trade statistics released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).
The data showed that the cumulative trade deficit for the period July-June FY2025-26 increased to $39.47 billion, compared with $32.47 billion recorded during the same period of the previous fiscal year, reflecting a 21.57 percent year-on-year increase.
According to the PBS, Pakistan’s total exports during the 12-month period declined by 5.97 percent to $30.13 billion, down from $32.04 billion in FY2024-25.
Meanwhile, imports rose by 7.89 percent to $69.60 billion, compared with $64.51 billion in the previous fiscal year, widening the gap between imports and exports despite government efforts to boost export earnings.
June Trade Performance
On a monthly basis, exports in June 2026 stood at $2.24 billion, marking a 16.73 percent decline compared to $2.69 billion recorded in May 2026.
Imports, however, increased sharply to $6.77 billion in June from $5.45 billion in May, registering a 24.07 percent month-on-month increase.
As a result, the monthly trade deficit surged to $4.53 billion, compared with $2.77 billion in May, reflecting a 63.76 percent increase over the previous month.
Year-on-Year Comparison
Compared with June 2025, exports in June 2026 declined by 9.61 percent, while imports increased by 26.27 percent.
Consequently, the trade deficit for June widened to $4.53 billion, up from $2.88 billion in the same month last year, representing a 57.11 percent year-on-year increase.
The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics noted that the trade figures are provisional, adding that data from the Directorate of Reforms and Automation (DRS) of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) for June 2026 was still awaited and the figures may be revised once complete data becomes available.
