ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s trade deficit widened by 18 percent year-on-year (YoY) in January 2025, reaching $2.3 billion, up from $1.96 billion in the same month of the previous year, according to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) on Monday.
Exports for January 2025 saw a modest increase of 4.6 percent, totaling $2.92 billion, compared to $2.792 billion in January 2024. In contrast, imports grew by 10 percent, rising to $5.233 billion from $4.756 billion in the same month of the previous fiscal year.
On a month-to-month basis, the trade deficit showed a slight improvement, decreasing by 5.5 percent compared to December 2024, when it stood at $2.447 billion. Exports in January 2025 were slightly higher than the $2.911 billion recorded in December 2024. Imports, however, saw a decline of 2.3 percent, dropping from $5.358 billion in December to $5.233 billion in January.
For the first seven months of the current fiscal year (7MFY25), the trade deficit remained relatively stable at $13.49 billion, reflecting an increase of just under 3 percent from the $13.116 billion recorded during the same period of the previous fiscal year.
Pakistan’s exports during the 7-month period rose by 10 percent, reaching $19.551 billion, compared to $17.77 billion in the same months of FY24. However, imports also saw an uptick, increasing by 6.9 percent to $33.03 billion, compared to $30.0 billion during the same period of FY24.
The data underscores ongoing challenges in balancing the country’s trade while highlighting growth in exports, even as the import bill continues to rise.
