KARACHI: Pakistan’s trade deficit widened by nearly 33% to $2.86 billion in November 2025, compared to $2.15 billion in the same month of the previous year, according to data from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) released on Tuesday.
The increase in the deficit was driven by a significant drop in exports and a rise in imports.
Exports in November 2025 fell 15.4% year-on-year (YoY), totaling $2.39 billion, down from $2.83 billion in November 2024. Meanwhile, imports rose by over 5%, reaching $5.25 billion, up from $4.98 billion in the same period last year.
On a month-on-month (MoM) basis, the trade deficit decreased by nearly 12% in November 2025 compared to October 2025, when the gap stood at $3.24 billion. This decline was due to a reduction in both exports and imports on a monthly basis.
During the first five months of fiscal year 2025-26 (5MFY26), the country’s trade deficit increased by 37%, reaching $15.47 billion, compared to $11.28 billion in the same period last year.
Exports during this period dropped by over 6%, totaling $12.84 billion, compared to $13.72 billion in 5MFY25. Conversely, imports rose by 13%, amounting to $28.3 billion, up from $25 billion in the previous year.
In a related development, Pakistan’s current account deficit also widened significantly, increasing by 256% during the first four months of FY26. The current account deficit stood at $733 million from July to October FY26, up from $206 million in the same period last year. This marks an increase of $527 million.
