Economic Indicators of Pakistan in 2026: A Comprehensive Analysis

In this article, I am going to explain the current economic indicators of Pakistan in 2026. Pakistan’s fiscal year starts from 1^st of July and ends on June 30 of the next year. The current fiscal year of Pakistan started on 1^st of July 2025 and will end on 30^th June 2026. Most of the figures presented in this article refer to the last fiscal year (2024–2025) and the year 2026.

1. Economic Output: Nominal vs. PPP

The first most important figure is the size of the economy, which means Nominal GDP, that is approximately 407 billion USD (around Rs 114.7 trillion) for Fiscal Year 2024–25. For the year 2026, it is expected to exceed 417 billion USD, according to Statista Research Department.

GDP is also measured in PPP (purchasing Power Parity) terms. It adjusts for price level differences across countries, so it shows how much goods and services people can actually buy in their own economy, while nominal GDP uses current market exchange rates to value an economy in US dollars. According to estimates based on the IMF and global economic outlook, in 2026, Pakistan’s GDP in PPP terms would be expected to be 1.76 trillion dollars.

2. GDP Per Capita

The second most important figure, if we talk about the economic indicators of Pakistan, is GDP per capita. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Economic Outlook, the current GDP per capita (nominal) is 1,707 dollars per person. While the population of Pakistan is more than 25 crores.

3. Foreign and Domestic Loan

Pakistan’s external loan is estimated at around 130 billion dollars, while internal (Domestic Debt) loan is 215 billion dollars (according to the market exchange rate, if considered 1 USD = 280 PKR), roughly. In Pakistani rupee domestic loan is 60,861 billion rupees (60.86 trillion rupees). In this way total government loan in dollar term is345 billion dollars (130+215=345 billion dollars).

4. Trade Sector (Exports & Imports)

When talking about Pakistan’s trade sector in the context of economic indicators of Pakistan, then exports of Pakistan are 32 billion dollars for the fiscal year 2024-2025, while imports are 58 billion dollars, and Pakistan is facing a trade deficit of 26 billion dollars. This trade deficit is huge.

5. National Literacy Statistics

Overall literacy rate in Pakistan is 63 %, meaning if a person can read and write, about six out of ten people aged 10 or above, then he or she is literate. In the total population, 52 % are women and 48 % are Men, and women are less educated.

6. Employment Situation

With reference to the economic Indicators of Pakistan, if I discuss the employment situation, then the unemployment rate in Pakistan is 7.1 %, reported by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) from the Labor Force Survey 2024–25. According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics total labor force in Pakistan is 77 million people (7 crore and 70 lakh).

7. Poverty Situation

Poverty issue falls in one of the major economic Indicators of Pakistan. The living standard of most of the People of Pakistan is very low, and they are facing severe poverty due to inflation, economic shocks, and natural disasters.

 According to the national poverty line, 25 % people fall below the poverty line. About 65 million (6 crore and 50 lakh) Pakistanis are estimated to be poor under the official national poverty measure.

While, According to International Poverty Measures suggested by the World Bank, for lower‑middle‑income countries, this Global Poverty Line is $4.20/day per person. According to this criterion, 44.7 % people are poor, and 10.8 million people are living below the poverty line. (10 Crore and 80 lakh people).

8. Foreign Exchange Reserves

Another significant figure, if we talk about the economic Indicators of Pakistan, is Foreign Exchange Reserves. In January 2026, total liquid foreign exchange reserves were 21.2 billion dollars. This comprises reserves held by the central bank and commercial banks combined.

State Bank of Pakistan’s reserves are 16.09 billion dollars, a portion of the reserves directly controlled by the central bank. Commercial banks have around 5.1 billion dollars in net foreign assets. In this way, the total liquid reserves are 21.2 billion dollars.

9. FDI (Foreign Direct Investment)

If I shed light on total FDI Inflows during fiscal year 2024–25, with reference to economic indicators of Pakistan, then Pakistan received about 2.46 billion dollars in FDI from all foreign partners collectively. Approximately 50% of that FDI came from China, making it the main single investor, followed by Hong Kong, the UAE, Switzerland, the UK, and South Korea, etc.

10. Inflation Trends and Price Stability

During the discussion of the economic indicators of Pakistan, one fact is very prominent to be highlighted, and that is inflation. Which is disturbing the lives of the poor people, especially salaried persons and fixed-income people. According to data from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) and government sources, Pakistan’s average inflation for the fiscal year 2024-25 was about 4.5 % — a substantial decline from around 23.4 % in FY 2023-24.

11. Fiscal Position of the Government

Another noteworthy indicator of the economy of Pakistan is the fiscal Deficit, which is related to total revenues and total expenditures of the country. For the fiscal year 2024-25, the total revenue was about 17.997 trillion PKR (15.7 % of GDP). Total expenditure was about 24.165 trillion PKR (21.1 % of GDP). The resulting budget shortfall (deficit) was 6.168 trillion PKR (5.38 % of GDP).

12. International Worker Remittances

Pakistan received a record remittance of 38.3 billion dollars during the fiscal year 2024-25 (July 2024–June 2025), more than 27 % from the previous year. This was the maximum annual remittances in the country’s history, driven by strong overseas worker flows and supportive policies to increase formal transfer channels.

Keeping in mind the economic indicators of Pakistan, experts and market reports suggest Pakistan is targeting around $41 billion in remittances during the fiscal year 2025-26. The biggest remittances sender countries included Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), United Kingdom, United States, Other contributors: Oman, Qatar, Italy, Spain, Canada, Australia, etc.

Conclusion

After analyzing the major economic indicators of Pakistan, we can conclude that Pakistan’s economy is stabilizing but remains structurally weak. On the encouraging side, inflation has fallen suddenly in 2024–25, the current account has improved, and foreign remittances are at high levels, providing backing to foreign exchange reserves. These factors have condensed immediate macroeconomic stress and upgraded short-term stability. Some structural problems are still present, like a low savings rate (7 to 8 % of GDP), fiscal deficit, trade deficit, poverty, unemployment, etc.

Pakistan is out of crisis mode but not out of distress. The economy is persisting on remittances, foreign support, and tight strategies, instead of strong domestic output. Pakistan’s economy can be boosted if we increase savings, exports, tax collection, and productivity.