Xifres de comerç exterior de Pakistan

Foreign Trade in Figures

Despite economic and political difficulties, Pakistan has taken steps to liberalize its trade and investment framework as part of commitments made with the WTO, IMF, and the World Bank. Nevertheless, the share of foreign trade in Pakistan's GDP continues to be low, at 29% (World Bank, latest data available). Textile products account by far for the largest share of exports (around 60%, mostly comprising linen, clothing, and cotton, making the country the 7th textile exporter in the world), followed by rice (around 6 million tons exported in FY 2024). In regards to imports, the largest items are petroleum oils and gases, palm oil, telephones, and coal (Comtrade).

The United States is the top destination for Pakistani exports (17.4% in 2023, mainly textile), ahead of China (9.5%), the United Kingdom (6.9%), Germany (5.3%), and the Netherlands (5%). Conversely, China is by far the largest supplier of goods to Pakistan (23.4%), followed by the United Arab Emirates (9.6%), Saudi Arabia (8.9%), Indonesia (7%), Qatar (6.6%), and Kuwait (3.8% - data Comtrade).

Pakistan's trade structure has been structurally in deficit and has been worsening in recent years: in 2023, imports of goods dropped by 28.6% to USD 50.5 billion, while exports lost 7.8%, totalling USD 28.5 billion. Concerning the trade of services, imports reached USD 9.6 billion, whereas exports amounted to USD 7.5 billion. For the same year, the World Bank estimated the country’s trade deficit at 7.6% of GDP (from 12% one year earlier). According to preliminary figures from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, exports rose by 10.52% in the first half of FY 2024-25, reaching USD 16.561 billion, compared to USD 14.985 billion in the same period last year. Imports increased by 6.11%, growing from USD 26.137 billion to USD 27.733 billion during the same period.