ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s trade deficit widened 46% in September to $3.34 billion as imports outpaced exports, the country’s statistics bureau said on Thursday, adding pressure on the country’s foreign exchange reserves.
The development comes as the cash-strapped country struggles to stabilize its foreign exchange reserves, amid looming debt repayments and limited avenues of fresh inflows. The total liquid reserves held by the country stood at $19.80 billion as of September 26, according to the State Bank of Pakistan.
The latest data from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) revealed that the trade deficit had increased by $1.05 billion, compared to $2.29 billion in the same month last year.
“Last month, the country’s imports surged 14% to $5.85 billion vs $5.13 billion last year,” the PBS said in its report. “Exports declined 12% to $2.5 billion vs $2.84 billion year earlier.”
The trade gap widened 33% to $9.37 billion in the third quarter of 2025, compared to $7.05 billion in the same period last year, according to the report. Pakistan’s exports fell 4% from $7.91 billion to $7.6 billion on a quarterly basis, while imports surged 13.5% from $14.9 billion to $16.9 billion.
The trade gap underscores structural weaknesses in Pakistan’s export base, dominated by low value-added textiles, while the country remains heavily reliant on costly fuel and machinery imports. The South Asian nation remains heavily reliant on foreign petroleum products, importing $17.9 billion in FY2024-25, almost equal to its textile export earnings.
Pakistan’s top exports this year included knitwear, readymade garments, bedwear, cotton, cloth, rice, towels, made-up articles, fruits, cotton yarn and basmati rice, according to the PBS. Items imported during the same period were petroleum products, crude oil, palm oil, electric machinery and apparatus, plastics, iron and steel, liquified natural gas, mobile phones and raw cotton.
