Check Pakistan's GDP Growth and Income Per Person: 3.70% and $1,901 in 2025-26
Pakistan's GDP grew 3.70% in 2025-26 and per capita income reached $1,901, PBS says. See growth by sector, the Rs 533,624 figure and what it does not tell you.
Short answer: Pakistan's economy grew 3.70 per cent in 2025-26 and income per person reached $1,901, or Rs 533,624, according to the provisional national accounts of the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). Per person income was $1,751 the year before, so it rose 8.6 per cent in dollars.
Per capita income is one of the most quoted numbers in Pakistan and one of the most misread. Politicians hold it up as proof of progress. Critics point out that no family earns it. Both sides use the same figure. This page gives you the number, the arithmetic behind it and what it cannot tell you.
We read the PBS National Accounts tables, "Updated Annual National Accounts Tables Base 2015-16 (2025-26 Provisional)", on 12 October 2026. Table 2 holds per capita income and Table 6 holds the growth rates.
Growth was 3.70 per cent, led by services and factories
PBS puts real GDP growth for 2025-26 at 3.70 per cent. Real means after removing price changes. Agriculture grew 2.89 per cent, industry 3.51 per cent and services 4.09 per cent. The PBS home page also shows 3.99 per cent growth in the third quarter, January to March 2026.
| Sector | Growth in 2025-26 | Growth in 2024-25 |
|---|---|---|
| Agriculture, forestry and fishing | 2.89% | 1.53% |
| Industry | 3.51% | 5.56% |
| Services | 4.09% | 3.14% |
| Whole economy (GDP) | 3.70% | 3.18% |
The 2024-25 column is the revised figure now shown in the same PBS table, not the number first announced a year ago. PBS says annual accounts are finalised over three years: provisional, revised, then final. A provisional figure can change.
Large factories, construction and communication grew fastest
Inside industry, large scale manufacturing grew 6.11 per cent and construction 5.73 per cent. Information and communication grew 7.52 per cent. Public administration, which is government service, grew 8.54 per cent. Electricity, gas and water supply shrank 10.63 per cent.
The weak spot on the farm was important crops, up only 0.65 per cent. Livestock grew 3.75 per cent and carried agriculture. For the latest factory number, see our report on July 2026 factory output.
Income per person is $1,901, up 8.6 per cent in dollars
PBS gives per capita income, which it calls per capita GNI at market prices, as Rs 533,624 for 2025-26. At the year's average exchange rate of Rs 280.65 to the dollar, that is $1,901. In 2024-25 it was Rs 489,110, or $1,751.
| Year | Per capita income (Rs) | Per capita income ($) | Average exchange rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | 454,585 | 1,607 | 282.90 |
| 2024-25 | 489,110 | 1,751 | 279.35 |
| 2025-26 (provisional) | 533,624 | 1,901 | 280.65 |
The rupee figure rose 9.1 per cent and the dollar figure 8.6 per cent, by our division. These are current prices, so inflation is inside the rupee number. The rupee growth is not a rise in real buying power.
The whole economy is measured at Rs 126.87 trillion in GDP at market prices. Add the net income Pakistanis earn from abroad, mostly remittances sent home, and gross national income is Rs 135.88 trillion. Our remittance report shows the stream that feeds that gap.
Why per capita income is not your pay
Per capita income is the country's total income divided by its population. It counts company profits, government spending and farmers' crops, as well as wages. It says nothing about how that income is shared. A rise in the average can come from the top, from the bottom or from both, and the figure alone cannot tell you which. It also mixes very different things: a doctor's fee, a farmer's wheat crop and a bank's profit all add to the same total.
The household survey gives a closer view. It finds the average household earns Rs 82,179 a month, and the middle fifth of households earns Rs 65,741. Our page on checking the main numbers on official pages shows where each one is published.
- Open the PBS National Accounts page.
- Choose "Updated Annual National Accounts Tables Base 2015-16".
- Open Table 2 for per capita income and the exchange rate.
- Open Table 6 for growth rates by sector.
- Check the year label: provisional, revised or final.
What comes next for growth
The World Bank forecasts growth of 3.8 per cent for 2026-27, which we covered in the World Bank FY27 forecast. That forecast comes from another institution and uses its own method. It is not the PBS number, and the two should not be mixed in one comparison.
The PBS release of the next quarterly accounts will show whether the 3.99 per cent third-quarter pace continued. PBS says it releases quarterly estimates about 90 days after each quarter ends. Watch for the label on each table. A figure marked provisional is the first estimate, and PBS later replaces it with a revised and then a final one.
Common questions
What was Pakistan's GDP growth in 2025-26?
It was 3.70 per cent, provisional, according to PBS national accounts. Industry grew 3.51 per cent and services 4.09 per cent.
What is Pakistan's per capita income?
It is Rs 533,624, or $1,901, for 2025-26 on a provisional basis. It was $1,751 in 2024-25.
Does per capita income mean each person earns that much?
No. It is the national total divided by the number of people. Most households earn well below or above it.
Why do dollar and rupee growth differ?
The rupee figure rose 9.1 per cent and the dollar figure 8.6 per cent, because the average exchange rate moved from Rs 279.35 to Rs 280.65.
Can the 3.70 per cent figure change?
Yes. PBS calls it provisional and finalises accounts over three years, so it may be revised.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
We read the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics National Accounts page and its provisional 2025-26 tables on 12 October 2026. The PBS home page shows the same rounded per capita figure of US$ 1,901.
About the author
Global Affairs & Political Economy Writer
Muhammad Hatim is a book lover who started writing because he enjoys it. At Pakistan Era he writes about international relations, geopolitics and the global economy, with a particular interest in South Asia and the forces behind current events.
