IslamabadThe trade deficit in Pakistan increased by more than 33 % on an annual basis (YOY), reaching $ 2.3 billion in February 2025, compared to $ 1.72 billion in the same month 2024, according to data from the Pakistani Statistics Office (PBS), which was issued on Monday.
The commercial imbalance expanded with a decrease in export imports. The total exports in February 2025 amounted to $ 2.44 billion, which represented a decrease of 5.6 % from $ 2.58 billion in February 2024. At the same time, imports increased by more than 10 %, up to $ 4.74 billion, an increase of $ 4.31 billion in the same period last year.
On a monthly basis (MOM), the trade deficit witnessed a slight reduction by 0.35 % in February 2025, compared to $ 2.31 billion in January 2025.
During the first eight months of the fiscal year (July-February 2025), Pakistan’s trade deficit grew by more than 6 %, with a total of 15.78 billion dollars, an increase of 14.84 billion dollars in the same period in the previous year.
Exports for 8MFY25 increased by 8.17 %, increasing to 22.02 billion dollars from 20.4 billion dollars in the same period last year. On the other hand, imports also increased by 7.4 %, reaching $ 37.8 billion, an increase of 35.2 billion dollars in 8MFY24.
Analysts warn that the increased trade balance, along with the increasing inflationary pressures and continuous water stress that affects crops, may lead to more challenges for Pakistan’s economic stability.
