Pakistan Trade Deficit October 2026: $3.88 Billion, Up 19.7% as Imports Jump (PBS)

Pakistan's goods trade deficit was $3,877 million in October 2026, up 19.7% from $3,239 million in October 2025, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). Imports rose 11.81% to $6,806 million, while exports rose only 2.84% to $2,929 million. These are provisional figures.

PBS posted its monthly summary on 6 November 2026, and we downloaded the spreadsheet and read every table. It is the widest monthly gap since July. Over the first four months of the fiscal year, July to October, the deficit is $14,628 million, up 15.97%. Below are the figures in dollars and rupees, the revision to September, what it means for your household, and how to check the numbers yourself.

Imports rose 11.81% and exports only 2.84% in October

Imports rose by $719 million from October 2025, and exports by only $81 million. So the deficit grew by $638 million in a year. Exports paid for only about 43% of imports in the month, by our arithmetic.

In rupees, exports were Rs 811.33 billion, imports Rs 1.89 trillion and the deficit Rs 1.08 trillion. The rupee deficit rose 17.87%, a little slower than the dollar figure, because the rupee is slightly stronger than it was a year ago. PBS has not yet posted the product files for October, so we cannot say which imports rose. The latest product detail is in imports by product for July to September and exports by product for July to September.

Export growth slowed sharply from September

September exports were about 17% above September 2025. October exports were only 2.84% above October 2025. Against September itself, exports barely moved, up 0.21%, while imports rose 5.72% in one month. So the deficit widened 10.3% from September's final figure of $3,515 million.

Exports were strong in September partly because September 2025 was a low base at $2,499 million. One month does not make a trend, and October's figure can change. The earlier month is in the September trade deficit.

The deficit for July to October is $14,628 million

In the first four months of fiscal year 2026-27, exports rose 8.52% to $11,336 million. Imports rose 12.59% to $25,964 million. The deficit rose 15.97%, or by $2,014 million, to $14,628 million.

For the calendar year, the deficit from January to October comes to about $34.9 billion by our arithmetic, adding October and September's final figure to the months in our every-month trade list.

PBS revised September's figures twice

PBS revises each month's numbers. September has now moved twice. The October file gives the final figure, which is lower than both earlier versions on all three lines, and the deficit is $40 million smaller than first reported.

October's figures can move the same way. PBS notes on the file that "Data from DRS, FBR" for October is still awaited, and that data from export processing zones is not yet included.

What the wider gap means for your household

The goods gap is paid for mostly by money that overseas Pakistanis send home. Remittances were between $3.59 billion and $3.66 billion in each of July, August and September. October's goods gap of $3.88 billion is bigger than any of those three months. The State Bank's October remittance figure is not out yet. The last quarter is in remittances for July to September by country.

A wider gap means more dollars leaving the country. That can matter for the rupee, for reserves and for interest rates, but nobody can tell from one month's figure what happens next. The rupee has been steady this month, as the 7 November dollar rate shows.

You can check these figures yourself in a few steps:

1. Open pbs.gov.pk and look under "What's New" for the Monthly Summary on Foreign Trade Statistics.
2. Open the page for the month and download the summary spreadsheet.
3. Read Table 1 for the change from last month and Table 2 for the change from last year.
4. Read Table 3 for the fiscal year so far, which starts in July.
5. Check the letters beside each month: P means provisional and F means final.

Common questions

What was Pakistan's trade deficit in October 2026?

$3,877 million, or Rs 1.08 trillion, on PBS provisional figures. That is 19.7% more than in October 2025.

How much did Pakistan export in October 2026?

Goods worth $2,929 million, up 2.84% from a year earlier and up 0.21% from September.

How much did Pakistan import in October 2026?

Goods worth $6,806 million, up 11.81% from a year earlier and up 5.72% from September.

What is the trade deficit for July to October 2026?

$14,628 million, up 15.97% from $12,614 million in the same four months of last year.

Which products caused the rise in imports?

We cannot say yet. PBS has posted only the summary for October. The product files were not up when we checked on 7 November.

How we verified this

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

Last checked 7 November 2026 at about 04:30 PKT. We read the PBS page for the October 2026 trade summary, dated 6 November on the PBS home page, and its summary spreadsheet. The remittance figures are from the State Bank of Pakistan's country-wise remittance file. The earlier September figures are from our earlier pages. The dollar differences, the 43% share and the calendar year total are our own arithmetic. October's figures are provisional and can change.