KARACHI: Pakistan’s bilateral trade with Central Asian states, along with Afghanistan and Azerbaijan, surged to $2.41 billion in FY25, showing a sharp increase from $1.92 billion in the previous fiscal year.
Pakistan’s exports to these countries surged to $1.77 billion, while imports were recorded at $641 million. This represents a clear recovery from FY24, when exports were recorded at $1.34 billion and imports reached $581 million, said a documents available with Wealth Pakistan.
Afghanistan continues to dominate as Pakistan’s largest trading partner in the region, with exports rising to $1.39 billion and imports reaching $612.5 million.
Kazakhstan has also emerged as a significant partner, with exports from Pakistan increasing to $250.8 million while Uzbekistan followed with $91.4 million in exports and $20.3 million in imports in FY25.
Other partners, including Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Azerbaijan, maintained smaller yet consistent shares in bilateral trade.
The regional trade context highlights enormous untapped potential. Central Asian countries managed a massive $318.01 billion in global trade during FY24, yet Pakistan’s share in this remains under $0.5 billion.
The Pakistan-Central Asia transit trade stood at $410 million in FY25, signalling growing reliance on Pakistan’s corridors for regional connectivity.
Experts underline that while the current trade growth is encouraging, Pakistan’s real opportunity lies in establishing direct connectivity and strategic trade routes with the Central Asian bloc.
