Pakistan’s exports to seven regional countries rose by 1% in the first eleven months of the current fiscal year (2024-25) compared to the same period last year.
According to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the country’s exports to Afghanistan, China, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, and the Maldives totaled $4.085 billion, accounting for 13.75% of Pakistan’s overall exports of $29.690 billion during July-May 2024-25.
China remained the leading export destination among these regional countries, followed by Bangladesh and Afghanistan. Pakistan also carried out border trade with Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, and the Maldives.
Exports to China, however, saw an 11.19% decline, falling from $2.556 billion last year to $2.270 billion this year. In contrast, exports to Afghanistan surged by 41.34%, rising from $511.6 million to $723.4 million. Exports to Bangladesh also grew by 21.45%, reaching $728.3 million from $599.7 million.
Exports to Sri Lanka dropped to $352.4 million from $363.4 million. Exports to Nepal fell slightly to $2.3 million from $2.6 million, while exports to the Maldives increased by 2% to $8.6 million from $8.4 million. Exports to India, however, plummeted to $0.4 million from $3.4 million.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s imports from the seven regional countries grew by 22.51% during the same period, reaching $15.256 billion compared to $12.452 billion in the previous year.
Imports from China increased by 22.58%, from $12.146 billion in 2023-24 to $14.890 billion in 2024-25. Imports from India rose to $211.4 million from $189.1 million, and imports from Afghanistan surged by 142.63%, increasing from $10.2 million to $24.7 million. Imports from Sri Lanka rose slightly by 1.13%, from $53.6 million to $54.2 million. Imports from Bangladesh increased from $51.7 million to $73.3 million, while imports from Nepal also saw a rise, from $0.4 million to $2 million.
