Pakistan’s trade deficit widened sharply to over $4 billion in April 2026, reaching its highest level in nearly four years, according to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics on Tuesday.
The deficit stood at $4.07 billion, marking a rise of around 4% compared to $3.92 billion in April last year. The increase was mainly driven by a strong jump in imports.
Exports during the month rose to $2.48 billion, showing a 14% increase year-on-year. However, imports grew at a faster pace, reaching $6.55 billion, up 7.5% from the same period last year.
On a monthly basis, the trade gap expanded significantly by 43.5% compared to March 2026, as imports surged by more than 28% while exports grew only modestly by 9.5%.
For the first ten months of fiscal year 2026, the overall trade deficit rose to nearly $32 billion, reflecting a 20% increase compared to the same period last year.
During this period, exports declined by over 6% to $25.21 billion, while imports increased by 7% to $57.19 billion, highlighting persistent pressure on Pakistan’s external account due to rising import demand and weaker export performance.
