Pakistan’s trade deficit swells to over $4 billion in April

Pakistan's trade deficit ballooned to $4.07 billion during April 2026, its highest level since June 2022, jumping 43.5 percent month-on-month (MoM) from $2.84 billion in March 2026, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Tuesday.

The statistics released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) showed a sharp rise in both exports and imports, with the country’s trade deficit for the month of April 2026.

The data further showed that exports increased by 9.5 per cent compared with March, reaching $2.479 billion in April 2026.

Imports posted a month-on-month increase of 28.41 percent, climbing to $6.553 billion during April 2026.

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 percent, whereas imports posted an increase of 6.94 percent.

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.

The trade deficit in the last fiscal year was $26.594 billion in the first 10 months of the current fiscal year.

 Exports decreased by 6 percent to $25.21 billion in the first 10 months of the current fiscal year. The import bill increased by 7 percent to $57.198 billion in the current fiscal year. 

Reporter: Ashraf Khan