Pakistan’s trade gap widened sharply in April, crossing the $4 billion mark for the first time in nearly four years, as a surge in imports outpaced export growth, according to fresh data released on Tuesday by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
Imports push deficit to multi-year high
The country’s trade deficit stood at $4.07 billion in April 2026, the highest level in 46 months. This was slightly higher than the $3.92 billion recorded in April last year, showing a rise of around 4 percent.
Exports showed some improvement, reaching $2.48 billion during the month. This was up 14 percent compared to $2.17 billion a year earlier. However, the increase was not enough to match the rise in imports.
Imports climbed to $6.55 billion in April, marking a 7.5 percent increase from $6.1 billion in the same month last year. The higher import bill continued to put pressure on the overall trade balance.
Sharp jump on monthly basis
On a monthly basis, the situation worsened more noticeably. The trade deficit jumped by 43.5 percent compared to March 2026, when it stood at $2.84 billion.
This spike was mainly driven by a steep rise in imports, which grew by more than 28 percent over the previous month. In comparison, exports increased by just 9.5 percent, widening the gap further.
Wider gap in ongoing fiscal year
The trend has also remained unfavourable over the course of the current fiscal year. In the first ten months of FY26, the trade deficit rose to $31.98 billion, up 20.3 percent from $26.59 billion recorded in the same period last year.
During this period, exports declined by over 6 percent to $25.21 billion, down from $26.89 billion in the corresponding months of FY25. At the same time, imports increased by 7 percent to $57.19 billion, compared to $53.48 billion a year earlier.
The data shows that despite some improvement in exports in April, the overall trade picture remains under strain due to consistently higher imports.
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