Pakistan’s trade deficit escalates 20% to $3.9 Billion in October

KARACHI (Staff Report): Pakistan’s trade deficit widened by 19.7% year-on-year to $3.88 billion in October 2026, as rising imports continued to outpace modest growth in exports, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

The country’s exports stood at $2.93 billion during October, registering a 2.8% increase compared with $2.85 billion in the same month last year. On a month-on-month basis, exports edged up 0.2% from $2.92 billion in September.

However, imports rose sharply to $6.81 billion in October, up 11.8% from $6.09 billion recorded in October 2025. On a monthly basis, imports increased 5.7% compared with $6.44 billion in September.

Consequently, the monthly trade deficit expanded to $3.88 billion against $3.24 billion in October last year, while increasing 10.3% from $3.52 billion in September.

The cumulative trade gap also widened during the first four months of the current fiscal year (4MFY27).

Exports reached $11.34 billion during July-October FY27, showing an 8.5% increase compared with $10.45 billion in the corresponding period of the previous fiscal year.

Imports, meanwhile, climbed 12.6% to $25.96 billion from $23.06 billion, pushing the cumulative trade deficit to $14.63 billion, up 16% from $12.61 billion in the same period last year.

The widening trade gap highlights the growing pressure from import growth on Pakistan’s external trade balance, as export expansion continues to lag behind the pace of imports.