Pakistan's April imports hit $6.8bn, up 33%

May 18, 2026 (MLN): Pakistan's total imports recorded a sharp month-on-month jump of 32.53% in April 2026, reaching $6.76 billion (Rs1.89 trillion) compared to $5.10bn (Rs1.43tr) in March 2026.

On a year-on-year basis, imports rose by 10.92% against $6.10bn (Rs1.71tr) recorded in April 2025, according to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

The single largest driver of the monthly surge was the Petroleum Group, which more than doubled month-on-month, jumping 86.73% to $2.27bn (Rs634.70bn).

Petroleum products alone saw a staggering 135% rise over March, while crude oil imports climbed 83.29%, together pushing the group's year-on-year growth to 67.63%.

The Machinery Group came in as the second-largest import category at $1.08bn (Rs302.84bn), up 23.22% from March, although it remained 5.12% lower compared to April last year.

Within machinery, Electrical Machinery & Apparatus surged 51.53% month-on-month, and Telecom equipment rose 26.75% to $269.6m. Mobile phone imports alone accounted for $176.9m, growing 18.84% over March and 41.39% over April 2025.

The Food Group stood at $757.8m (Rs211.71bn), up 11.41% month-on-month. Tea imports rose significantly by 43.86% year-on-year to $69m, while palm oil imports reached $290.5m.

Pulses declined 32.12% annually to $64m, and soyabean oil dropped to zero compared to $28.5m in April 2025.

Agricultural and Other Chemicals reached $817.4m (Rs228.35bn), rising 16.29% month-on-month. Medicinal products within the group climbed 31.53% over March to $100.3m, though they remained broadly flat year-on-year.

The Transport Group recorded $347.9m (Rs97.190bn), growing 5.57% over March and 28% over April 2025. CKD/SKD motor car imports were a standout, rising 29.84% month-on-month and 60.92% year-on-year to $220.7m.

The Textile Group posted $464.4m (Rs129.74bn), up 8.39% from March but sharply down 36.06% from April 2025.

Raw cotton imports fell 61.33% year-on-year to $127 million, reflecting a significant reduction in textile sector raw material procurement.

The Metal Group totalled $451.7m (Rs126.20bn), rising 8.21% month-on-month but declining 19.15% year-on-year.

Iron and steel imports climbed 26.93% over March to $203.2m, while iron and steel scrap fell 4.38%.

On a cumulative basis for the first ten months of the fiscal year (July–April 2025-26), total imports reached $57.41bn (Rs16.14tr), up 7.33% over the corresponding period of the previous year when imports stood at $53.49bn.

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