Pakistan’s import bill edges up 8 per cent YoY despite monthly slowdown

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s petroleum import bill rose to $1.22 billion in March 2025, marking an 11.16 per cent increase compared to $1.09 billion in the same month last year, according to data released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).

However, on a month-on-month basis, petroleum imports declined by 15.7 per cent from $1.45 billion in February 2025.

The overall import bill for March stood at $4.9 billion, up 8.22 per cent from March 2024. Compared to February, however, total imports were down 2.25 per cent from $5.06 billion.

In the first nine months of the current fiscal year (9MFY25), total imports increased by 11.08 per cent to $43.38 billion, compared to $39.05 billion in the same period last year.

Petroleum products made up nearly a quarter of total imports in March, with their share recorded at 24.6 per cent. Over the nine-month period, petroleum imports rose slightly by 2.25 per cent year-on-year to $442 million, up from $432 million in 9MFY24.

Food imports in March fell by 2.89 per cent year-on-year to $730.6 million, compared to $752.44 million in the same month last year. On a monthly basis, they declined marginally by 0.14 per cent from $731.7 million in February.

The slight decline was despite a sharp rise in palm oil imports, which jumped 23.3 per cent month-on-month and 14.3 per cent year-on-year to reach $340 million in March.

From July to March, food imports slipped by 0.77 per cent to $5.63 billion, compared to $5.68 billion during the same period last fiscal year.

Imports of agricultural and other chemicals inched up by 0.32 per cent year-on-year to $694.27 million in March, though they were down 1.14 per cent compared to February. For the nine-month period, the category saw a 1.3 per cent annual increase to $6.82 billion.

Machinery imports dropped 3.6 per cent year-on-year to $706.33 million in March, compared to $733.18 million in March 2024. Month-on-month, however, imports in this category rose by 5.23 per cent from $671.2 million in February.

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