ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has disclosed in its Year Book 2024-25 that the share of Custom House Karachi in Pakistan’s total customs duty collection is gradually decreasing, signaling a noticeable shift in revenue generation toward other regions of the country.
According to the official data, Karachi Customs House continues to account for the largest portion of customs duty collection nationwide. However, its share dropped to 79.9 percent in FY2024-25, compared to 81.4 percent in FY2023-24. Over the last five years, Karachi’s contribution has shown fluctuations but overall points to a gradual decline, reflecting the rising importance of other customs collectorates across Pakistan.
Within Karachi’s customs network, major changes were recorded among key units. The share of Port Qasim fell significantly from 25.2 percent in FY2023-24 to 21.2 percent in FY2024-25. In contrast, Karachi SAPT posted a strong increase, climbing to 23.0 percent from 14.7 percent a year earlier. Karachi East also recorded a sharp recovery, with its contribution improving to 16.3 percent, compared to 10.8 percent in the previous fiscal year.
The data further shows that customs collectorates outside Karachi are steadily strengthening their role in national revenue collection. The combined share of non-Karachi collectorates rose to 19.8 percent in FY2024-25, up from 18.3 percent in the preceding year, highlighting better customs performance and improved duty realization beyond the country’s main port city.
Among other major contributors, Lahore collectorates, including Appraisement East and Appraisement West, maintained a stable share in customs duty collection. Islamabad and Faisalabad also continued to contribute to the national customs revenue pool. Meanwhile, developing customs stations such as Gwadar and Gilgit-Baltistan remain small in overall share but are gradually expanding their footprint in the country’s customs framework.
Analysts believe the changing pattern reflects diversification of trade routes, stronger enforcement measures, and shifting import trends across Pakistan. The latest FBR figures suggest that while Karachi remains the dominant hub for customs revenue, the contribution of other collectorates is steadily rising, indicating a more balanced and geographically distributed customs duty collection system in Pakistan.
