Mobile Phone Imports in Pakistan 2026: Every Month's Value From PBS, January to September (Full List)

Pakistan imported $1.35 billion of mobile phones from January to September 2026, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). That is 6.9% more than in the same months of 2025, but the trend has turned: imports were up 22.3% in the first half of the year and down 16.6% from July to September.

We took the mobile phone line from every monthly PBS import sheet for 2026, using the final figure for each month. Below is the value of phone imports in every month, set against the same month of 2025, what the turn after June means for phone buyers, and how to find the figure yourself. PBS gives the value only, not the number of handsets.

Mobile phone imports for every month of 2026

Mobile phone imports ranged from $126.5 million in May to $179.3 million in January 2026, an average of about $149.5 million a month. January and April were the two biggest months. From July, every month came in below the same month of 2025.

January to August are final figures. September is the revised figure and can still change slightly. The import value is what the phones cost at the border, before sales tax, PTA registration and shop margins are added.

Imports grew 22.3% in the first half, then fell 16.6%

From January to June 2026, Pakistan imported $928.6 million of phones, 22.3% more than in the first half of 2025. From July to September it imported $417.2 million, 16.6% less than a year earlier. September 2026 was 28.2% below September 2025.

Part of the fall is a high base. September 2025 was an unusually big month at $199.3 million, so September 2026 looks weak beside it. PBS does not give reasons, and we have not found an official explanation for the drop after June. The new fiscal year began in July with the Finance Act 2026 in force, and its phone tax rates are covered in mobile phone import tax after the Finance Act 2026.

What the figures mean if you are buying a phone

Import figures do not set shop prices, but they tell you about supply. Fewer phones arriving can mean fewer choices and firmer prices for imported models. Phones assembled in Pakistan are not counted here as finished phones, since their parts come in under other lines.

1. Imported flagship phones are the ones most affected by import trends and by PTA tax, which is set by value.
2. Locally assembled phones come PTA-approved from the factory, so you pay no separate PTA registration tax, and their supply depends on parts imports, not this line.
3. A phone you bring from abroad still needs PTA registration and tax within the allowed period.
4. A falling import bill does not mean prices fall. The rupee, taxes and world prices matter more.

Before you buy, check whether the model is made in Pakistan, as set out in the PTA list of local phone factories. If you are paying PTA tax in parts, the rules are in PTA tax instalments.

Phones were 2.5% of Pakistan's import bill

Pakistan's total goods imports from January to September 2026 were $54.50 billion. Mobile phones made up $1.35 billion of that, about 2.5%. From July to September, phones cost the country more than tea or pulses, but far less than oil or palm oil.

Phones sit inside the PBS "telecom" line, which also covers other telecom equipment. The whole telecom line was $651.8 million from July to September 2026, of which phones were $417.2 million. How phones compare with every other import is in Pakistan's imports by product.

How to find mobile phone imports on the PBS website

PBS posts the figure every month in its free import sheet. You need no account and the file opens in any spreadsheet app.

• Open pbs.gov.pk and go to External Trade Statistics.
• Download the "Import" spreadsheet for the month you want, for example Import_September-2026.
• Find line 16, "TELE COM", and the line under it, "A. MOBILE PHONE".
• The dollar column is in thousands. Divide by 1,000 to get millions.
• For the final figure of a month, read the "previous month (F)" column in the next month's sheet.

Common questions

How many mobile phones did Pakistan import in 2026?

PBS reports value, not units. The value was $1.35 billion from January to September 2026.

Which month had the highest phone imports in 2026?

January, at $179.3 million. April was close behind at $176.9 million.

Are mobile phone imports falling in Pakistan?

Since July, yes. July to September 2026 was 16.6% below the same months of 2025, after a strong first half.

Do these figures include phones made in Pakistan?

No. Locally assembled phones are not imported as finished phones, so they are not in this line.

When will October 2026 phone imports be published?

PBS usually posts each month's import sheet early in the following month. October's was not up when we checked on 4 November.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked 4 November 2026 at about 06:00 PKT. We read the PBS external trade statistics page and downloaded the import sheets for January to September 2026, including the September 2026 import sheet. Each month's final figure comes from the next month's sheet. The 2025 figures are PBS's own year-earlier figures in each sheet. Totals, averages and percentages are our own arithmetic.