Pakistan exports rise but trade deficit swells to over $4bn in April

Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) has released Pakistan’s trade figures for April 2026, showing a notable rise in both exports and imports, with the country’s trade deficit widening significantly during the month.

According to the data, exports increased by 9.5 per cent compared with March, reaching $2.479 billion in April 2026.

Imports recorded a steeper month-on-month increase of 28.41 per cent, climbing to $6.553 billion.

The sharp rise in imports pushed the trade deficit up by 43.5 per cent from the previous month to $4.074 billion.

On an annual basis, exports were 14 per cent higher than in April last year, while imports rose by 7.46 per cent compared with April 2025. Figures for the first 10 months of the current fiscal year showed exports declining by 6.25 per cent, whereas imports posted an increase of 6.94 per cent.

Between July and April, Pakistan’s exports amounted to $25.210 billion, while imports totalled $57.198 billion. The overall trade deficit for the period widened by 20.28 per cent to $31.988 billion.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves held by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) rose by $730 million to $15.83 billion during the week ended April 24, 2026, official data showed on Thursday.

The country’s total liquid foreign reserves stood at $21.27 billion, the central bank said in a statement.