Pakistan LSMI output rises 3% YoY in July 2026

September 16, 2026 (MLN): Pakistan's Large Scale Manufacturing Industries (LSMI) output rose 3.03% year-on-year (YoY) in July 2026, marking the first month of fiscal year 2026-27, while output climbed 9.51% month-on-month (MoM), according to provisional data released with base year 2015-16, by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

The Quantum Index of Manufacturing (QIM) was recorded at 119.13 in July 2026, compared with 115.62 in July 2025 and 108.78 in June 2026.

Automobiles and garments led the month's performance, while pharmaceuticals and iron and steel weighed on output.

Growth of Major Manufacturing Items

The automobile sector extended its strong growth trajectory, surging 57.01% YoY in July. Garments rose sharply by 22.03%, while cement gained 6.17% and cotton yarn edged up 2.73% during the month.

Petroleum products posted a modest 1.34% increase, while fertilizers declined 4.71% YoY. Iron and steel continued its downward trend, falling 11.40%, and cotton cloth slipped marginally by 0.09%.

Among other sectors, tobacco output jumped 35.82% YoY, electrical equipment rose 7.88%, and other transport equipment grew 40.22%.

Furniture output increased 10.10%, while wood products and rubber products posted gains of 2.82% and 1.75%, respectively.

On the decline side, food output fell 6.39%, beverages dropped 8.77%, and textile output slipped 3.09% YoY. Pharmaceuticals posted the sharpest fall among major sectors, down 20.79%, while paper and board declined 4.26% and chemicals fell 6.19%, with chemical products down 8.96% and fertilizers down 4.71% within that group. Machinery and equipment output dropped 13.33%.

Sectoral Contributions

The main contributors toward the overall 3.03% YoY growth were garments (3.87 percentage points), automobiles (1.91), tobacco (0.55), cement (0.36), other transport equipment (0.27), electrical equipment (0.21), furniture (0.18), and petroleum products (0.11).

Conversely, pharmaceuticals (-1.24), food (-0.84), textile (-0.53), chemicals (-0.50), iron and steel products (-0.47), beverages (-0.45), and machinery and equipment (-0.03) weighed on overall growth.

The mixed sectoral performance in July reflects continued strength in automobiles and garments even as pharmaceuticals, food and iron and steel remained under pressure at the start of the new fiscal year.

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