Foreign Direct Investment in Pakistan surges 52% to $258mn in March 

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Pakistan increased by 51.7% month-on-month (MoM) to $258 million in March 2024, up from $170 million in the same month last year, according to the latest data released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).

The FDI inflows in March 2024 are the highest since June 2022.

Despite the rise in March, FDI inflows for the first nine months (July-March) of the current fiscal year decreased by 9.7% compared to the previous year. 

SBP data indicates that from July to March of FY24, the country received $1.099 billion in FDI, a decline of $118 million from $1.217 billion received in the same period of the previous year.

Pakistan continues to attract around $2 billion in FDI annually, the lowest in the region.

FDI inflows from China and the UAE were notably lower during this period. From China, the inflows decreased to $262 million in the first nine months of FY24 from $556.6 million in the corresponding period last year. 

From the UAE, the inflows were $27.7 million, down from $88.7 million. The government, however, expects to attract significant investment from the UAE under the SIFC.

Other notable FDI inflows included $264 million from Hong Kong, $196.3 million from the UK, $100.7 million from the USA, and $5.2 million from Japan, compared to $140 million from Japan in the same period last year.