Pakistan’s trade deficit widens to $28 billion in July–March

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s trade deficit widened by 23 per cent in the first nine months of the current fiscal year, reaching $28 billion, according to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics on Thursday.

The deficit stood at $22.67 billion in the same period last year, the data showed.

The data said that exports fell 8 per cent during July–March to $22.73 billion, compared with $24.72 billion a year earlier, while imports rose 6.64 per cent to $50.54 billion from $47.39 billion.

On a monthly basis, it said, exports in March 2026 declined 14.4 per cent year-on-year to $2.26 billion, down from $2.64 billion in March 2025.

Similarly, imports for March stood at $4.99 billion, pushing the monthly trade deficit to $2.73 billion, compared with $2.63 billion a year earlier, marking an increase of 3.71 per cent.

However, on a month-on-month basis, the trade deficit narrowed by 9.36 per cent compared with February, the data showed.

The figures highlight continued pressure on Pakistan’s external account, driven by declining exports and rising import demand.