ISLAMABAD : Pakistan’s trade deficit surged by 17.48 percent during the first eleven months of the current fiscal year, reaching $34.76 billion, according to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) on Thursday.
The bureau reported that exports contracted by 5.61 percent between July 2025 and May 2026, totaling $27.9 billion. Over the same period, imports rose by 5.94 percent to $62.66 billion, widening the deficit.
However, monthly data for May 2026 showed a notable improvement. The trade deficit narrowed by 39.43 percent compared to April 2026, and fell 13.68 percent on an annual basis, standing at $2.58 billion.
Exports in May recorded a monthly increase of 9.59 percent and an annual rise of 1.26 percent. In May 2025, exports stood at $2.70 billion. Imports in May 2026 declined sharply — down 21.45 percent month-on-month and 6.63 percent year-on-year — to $5.29 billion.
Analysts view the May figures as a tentative sign of stabilisation, though the broader eleven-month trend underscores persistent structural challenges in Pakistan’s external trade.
