Pakistan’s information technology sector delivered its strongest year on record in the last fiscal year, with exports rising to $4.6 billion, reflecting nearly 21 percent growth from $3.814 billion in FY2024-25.
While the performance fell about $400 million short of the government’s $5 billion target, it reinforced ICT as Pakistan’s largest services export sector and kept the country on track towards its longer term goal of reaching $10 billion in exports by FY2028-29.
According to The Express Tribune, industry experts say the milestone highlights the sector’s steady expansion but also points to untapped potential. They believe stronger policies, wider market access and investment in advanced technologies will be needed for Pakistan to sustain higher growth in the coming years.
Pakistan’s IT ecosystem now includes tens of thousands of registered companies, more than 600,000 IT professionals and freelancers, and a growing network of software technology parks. The industry has benefited from a young workforce, competitive operating costs, rising global demand for remote services, improved internet connectivity and favourable tax incentives for exporters.
The United States remains Pakistan’s biggest technology export market, followed by the UK, the UAE, Canada and Europe. Experts, however, see significant room for growth in Gulf countries, Europe, East Asia, Africa and Central Asia. They also urge companies to move beyond traditional software development and focus more on higher value services such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, automation and enterprise solutions.
Freelancers have also become a key part of the industry’s success, contributing around $1.1 billion, or nearly a quarter of total IT exports during FY26. Industry leaders say more training and long term support will help strengthen Pakistan’s position in the global digital economy.
Experts also argue that Pakistan’s next phase of growth will depend less on increasing the number of software developers and more on creating original products, building intellectual property and adopting AI driven technologies.
Despite the record exports, industry stakeholders continue to flag challenges including policy uncertainty, foreign exchange restrictions, internet reliability, energy costs and weak intellectual property protection, warning that addressing these issues will be crucial if Pakistan hopes to achieve its ambitious digital export targets.
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