Pakistan's Exports Rose 17.6% in September 2026, but the Trade Deficit Widened
Pakistan exported $2.94 billion of goods in September 2026, up 17.6%, but the July to September trade deficit grew to $10.8 billion. See the PBS figures here.
Pakistan exported goods worth $2,939 million in September 2026, up 17.61% on September 2025. Imports were $6,494 million, up 11.05%. That left a goods trade deficit of $3,555 million for the month, and $10,792 million for July to September 2026. These are provisional figures from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).
PBS posted its monthly summary on 2 October 2026. We downloaded the spreadsheet from the PBS website on 9 October and read every table. The headline is good news for exports. The detail is less comfortable, because imports grew by more dollars than exports did.
Here is what the numbers mean for jobs, the rupee and your household budget, and how to check them yourself.
Exports and imports both rose in September 2026
Exports rose to $2,939 million in September 2026 from $2,499 million a year earlier, a 17.61% rise. Imports rose to $6,494 million from $5,848 million, up 11.05%. Exports grew faster in per cent, but imports grew more in dollars.
| Goods trade | September 2026 | September 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exports | $2,939 million | $2,499 million | +17.61% |
| Imports | $6,494 million | $5,848 million | +11.05% |
| Trade deficit | $3,555 million | $3,349 million | +6.15% |
In rupees, exports were Rs 815,097 million and imports Rs 1,803,509 million. The rupee figures grew a little less than the dollar ones, which tells you the rupee was slightly stronger against the dollar than a year ago.
Month on month, September was also better than August 2026. Exports rose 16.07% from $2,532 million. Imports rose 11.5% from $5,824 million.
The three-month trade deficit reached $10.8 billion
From July to September 2026, the first quarter of the 2026-27 financial year, Pakistan exported $8,423 million of goods and imported $19,215 million. The deficit was $10,792 million, up 15.13% from $9,374 million a year earlier.
That is the number to watch. Exports grew 10.84% over the quarter, but imports grew 13.21%. Because imports are more than twice as large as exports, even a smaller growth rate on imports adds more dollars to the gap.
A simple way to see it: for every $100 Pakistan earned from goods exports in the quarter, it spent about $228 on goods imports.
Services trade is a smaller but better story
PBS data for services runs a month behind. In August 2026, Pakistan exported $873 million of services, up 28.97% on August 2025, and imported $1,156 million. The services deficit fell to $283 million from $450 million a year earlier.
Services exports include IT and software work, freelancing, business services and transport. For July and August 2026 together, they were $1,811 million, up 28.89%. Our report on IT exports in August 2026 has the sector detail.
Even so, services are far smaller than goods. A $283 million services gap is small next to a $3.5 billion goods gap.
A bigger trade gap matters for the rupee and prices
A trade deficit means Pakistan pays out more dollars for imports than it earns from exports. The gap has to be filled by remittances, loans or investment. If those fall short, pressure on the rupee and on reserves grows, and imported goods such as fuel cost more.
That is why a monthly trade release matters to a family in Karachi or Multan, not just to bankers. Pakistan buys most of its fuel, cooking oil and many machines from abroad. When the import bill rises faster than export earnings, the country needs more dollars each month.
The export side has a direct job link too. Textile mills, rice exporters, sports goods makers in Sialkot and surgical instrument firms all hire more when orders rise. A 17.61% rise in a month is a strong sign for those workers, if it lasts.
We would not read too much into one month. PBS marks the September figures as provisional and says data from the FBR's Directorate of Reforms and Automation for September is still awaited. Numbers can be revised in the next release.
How to check Pakistan's trade figures yourself
PBS publishes a monthly summary early each month on its website under External Trade Statistics. The file is a short spreadsheet with three tables: month on month, year on year, and the financial year so far. Here is how to read it.
- Open the PBS website and go to Trade, then External Trade Statistics, or look in What's New for "Monthly Summary on Foreign Trade Statistics".
- Download the Summary file for the month you want. It opens in Excel or Google Sheets.
- Read Table 2 for the same month last year, and Table 3 for the year so far. Table 1 compares with the previous month only.
- Check the label next to the month. "P" means provisional, "F" means final. Provisional numbers can change.
- Use the dollar column if you want to compare with remittances or reserves, which the State Bank reports in dollars.
If you also want inflation, reserves and remittances, the same habit works on the State Bank and PBS pages, and we walk through them in our note on checking Pakistan's economy numbers at the source. Exporters who grew sales this year may also want to check whether they qualify for the 1% or 2% export rebate on extra exports.
Common questions
What was Pakistan's trade deficit in September 2026?
The goods trade deficit was $3,555 million in September 2026, according to PBS provisional figures. That was 6.15% higher than the $3,349 million in September 2025.
How much did Pakistan export in July to September 2026?
Pakistan exported $8,423 million of goods in July to September 2026, up 10.84% from $7,599 million in the same quarter of 2025.
Why did the deficit grow if exports rose faster?
Imports are more than twice the size of exports. An 11% rise on $5.8 billion of imports adds more dollars than a 17.6% rise on $2.5 billion of exports.
Are the September 2026 figures final?
No. PBS marks them provisional and notes that FBR data for September was still awaited. Check the next monthly release for revisions.
Do these numbers match the State Bank's figures?
Not always. PBS counts goods crossing the border, while the State Bank counts payments in the balance of payments. The two methods measure different things, so their monthly totals can differ.
Where do services exports like freelancing show up?
In the separate PBS services summary, which runs one month behind. August 2026 services exports were $873 million.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked 9 October 2026. We read the PBS Monthly Summary on Foreign Trade Statistics for September 2026, posted 2 October 2026, and its two spreadsheets: the merchandise trade summary for September 2026 and the services trade summary for August 2026, both signed by the PBS Director (Trade). The ratios and dollar comparisons in the text are our own arithmetic on those tables.
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.
