IT-led services exports lift Pakistan’s H1 FY26 receipts by 16.5pc

Pakistan’s services exports climbed 16.51 per cent year-on-year to $4.764 billion in the first half of FY26, compared with $4.089bn in the same period last year, according to Pakistan Bureau of Statistics data.

Telecommunications, computer and information services led the expansion, with exports rising 19.82pc to $2.236bn in July–December FY26 from $1.866bn a year earlier, State Bank of Pakistan data showed. Other business services exports increased 24.87pc to $1.014bn from $812m, while travel services rose 19.49pc to $429m from $359m. Transport services posted marginal growth of 0.44pc to $462m from $460m.

In rupee terms, services exports grew 18.04pc to Rs1.342 trillion in 1HFY26, up from Rs1.137tr in the corresponding period last year.

Monthly data showed year-on-year growth of 18.27pc in July, 8.41pc in August, 14.85pc in September, 17.61pc in October, 22.26pc in November and 15.94pc in December. Services exports reached $935.16m in December, up from $806.61m a year earlier, with a month-on-month increase of 15.84pc.

In contrast, services imports rose 15.75pc to $6.504bn in the first six months of FY26 from $5.619bn a year earlier, while month-on-month imports surged 34.39pc.

For FY25, services exports increased 9.23pc to $8.39bn from $7.68bn, with growth largely driven by IT and other business services, though a 6.50pc decline was recorded in August 2024. Services exports have posted uninterrupted growth since February 2024, unlike commodity exports, which have shown volatile performance.