ISLAMABAD, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan's exports recorded a sharp month-on-month increase of nearly 35 percent in January 2026, according to provisional data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) on Monday.
Exports rose to 3.06 billion U.S. dollars in January, up from 2.27 billion dollars in December 2025, marking an increase of 34.96 percent, the data showed.
During the same period, imports declined by around 5 percent to 5.79 billion dollars from 6.08 billion dollars in the previous month, the PBS said.
As a result, the country's trade deficit narrowed to 2.73 billion dollars in January, compared with 3.81 billion dollars in December, reflecting a contraction of about 28.5 percent.
On a year-on-year basis, exports increased by 3.73 percent to 3.06 billion dollars in January 2026, compared with 2.95 billion dollars in the same month last year.
Imports during January declined by 1.41 percent year on year to 5.79 billion dollars, the data showed.
The trade deficit also improved year on year, decreasing by 6.61 percent compared with January 2025.
However, cumulative trade figures of the current fiscal year (July-December FY2026) showed a decline in overall export performance. Exports during the period fell by 7.09 percent year on year to 18.20 billion dollars, the PBS said.
Imports during the same period rose by 9.42 percent to 40.23 billion dollars, resulting in a cumulative trade deficit of 22.04 billion dollars.
The PBS noted that the data remains provisional, pending the inclusion of additional customs records from the Federal Board of Revenue. ■
