Pakistan’s exports recorded a remarkable increase of 17% month-on-month and 18% year-on-year in September 2026, surpassing $2.96 billion compared with $2.5 billion in the same month last year, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).
The textile sector also posted positive growth, with exports reaching $1.6 billion in September, marking a 5% increase on both monthly and annual bases.
During the first three months of the current fiscal year, Pakistan’s exports rose by 11% to $8.45 billion, reflecting continued growth in the country’s export sector.
However, the import bill also increased. Pakistan’s imports reached $6.50 billion in September 2026, up 11% from $5.85 billion in September 2025. On a cumulative basis, the import bill climbed 13% to $19.21 billion during the first quarter of the current fiscal year, compared with $16.97 billion in the corresponding period last year.
Earlier, Pakistan’s exports got off to a stronger start in the new fiscal year, but the improvement came alongside a wider trade gap as imports continued to rise.
Merchandise exports increased 10.84 per cent in the first quarter of FY27, reaching $8.43 billion compared with $7.59 billion in the same period last year, according to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) on Friday.
September provided an even stronger showing. Export proceeds rose 17.61 per cent year-on-year to $2.94 billion, up from $2.49 billion a year earlier. Exports were also 16.07 per cent higher than in August.
The figures point to some improvement in export performance after a difficult previous year. Pakistan’s merchandise exports fell 5.97 per cent in FY26 to $32.04 billion, missing the annual target by $4.87 billion.
The government has set ambitious goals for exports. The Planning Ministry had earlier projected that export proceeds would reach $60 billion by 2030. It has since raised the longer-term target to $100 billion by 2035.
