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 33% (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 (3.32 million tons between July 2023-January 2024). In regards to imports, the largest items are petroleum products, palm oil, telephones, and coal (Comtrade).

The United States is the top destination for Pakistani exports (20.1%, mainly textile), ahead of China (8.2%), the United Kingdom (6.5%), the Netherlands (5.8%), and Germany (5.7%). Conversely, China is by far the largest supplier of goods to Pakistan (23%), followed by the United Arab Emirates (11.2%), Saudi Arabia (7.2%), Indonesia (7%), Qatar (5.8%), and the United States (4.4% - data Comtrade).

Pakistan's trade structure has been structurally in deficit and has been worsening in recent years: in 2022, imports of goods stood at USD 71 billion (-1.9% year-on-year), while exports grew 9.2%, totaling USD 30.9 billion. Concerning the trade of services, imports reached USD 10.5 billion, whereas exports amounted to USD 7.3 billion. For the same year, the World Bank estimated the country’s trade deficit at 12% of GDP (from 8.9% one year earlier). According to preliminary figures from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, the cumulative trade deficit for the first five months of the fiscal year 2023-24 (July-November) amounted to USD 9.45 billion, reflecting a 17.01% decrease in dollar terms compared to the same period the previous year. During the same period, cumulative exports totaled USD 12.17 billion, indicating a 1.9% increase, while cumulative imports totaled USD 21.6 billion (-17%).