Pakistan's trade deficit widens 6% to $3.56bn in September

Pakistan's trade deficit widened by just over 6% year-on-year to $3.56 billion in September 2026, according to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics on Friday, as import growth continued to outpace the country's export recovery.

The deficit, the gap between exports and imports, stood at $3.35 billion in September 2025. Exports for September 2026 were recorded at $2.94 billion, up 17.6% from $2.5 billion a year earlier, while imports rose by more than 11% to $6.49 billion from $5.85 billion in the same period last year, the bureau's data show. Imports therefore remained more than twice the value of exports.

On a month-on-month basis, the deficit rose nearly 8% in September 2026 from $3.29 billion in August 2026.

For the first quarter of fiscal year 2026-27 (July to September), the bureau reported a deficit of $10.79 billion, up more than 15% from $9.37 billion in the same period of FY26. Quarterly exports rose nearly 11% to $8.42 billion from $7.59 billion, while imports increased by more than 13% to $19.22 billion from $16.97 billion in 1QFY26.

The figures indicate that export receipts are growing, but not quickly enough to offset the import bill, leaving the trade gap wider than a year ago.