Pakistan’s import bill surges 23% to $6bn in September

October 19, 2026 (MLN): Pakistan’s import bill climbed to $6.17bn in September 2026, up by 22.65% YoY from $5.03bn in September 2025, data released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) showed. On a monthly basis, total imports as per BOP increased by 12.98% compared to $5.46bn in August 2026.

In September 2026, the Petroleum group remained the major import item, accounting for 25.40% of the total imports. The import bill of the group stood at $1.57bn, up by 34.18% YoY and 1.20% MoM.

The combined animal, vegetable, fats and prepared-foodstuffs groups remained the second largest segment of imports. The import value of this segment stood at $784.28m, showing growth of 22.64% YoY compared to $639.48m in September 2025. On a monthly basis, imports of the respective segment grew by 18.69% MoM compared to $660.77m in August 2026.

Under the same segment, imports of Oil Seeds and Oleaginous Fruit clocked in at $210.03m, up by 89.19% YoY and 4.49% MoM. Imports of Animal or Vegetable Fats and Oils stood at $353.17m, rising by 14.82% YoY and 35.71% MoM, while Cereals imports more than doubled, up 116.71% YoY to $17.78m.

Imports of Machinery and Mechanical Appliances stood at $794.76m, down by 2.12% YoY and 6.90% MoM. Electrical Machinery and Equipment imports amounted to $448.54m, down 2.00% YoY, while Nuclear Reactors, Boilers and Machinery imports stood at $346.22m, down 2.28% YoY.

Base Metals and Articles recorded imports of $658.77m, a significant growth of 49.14% YoY and 34.07% MoM. Iron and Steel imports jumped by 56.12% YoY to $482.14m.

Likewise, the import of Vehicles, Aircraft, Vessels and Associated Transport Equipment went up by 40.58% YoY to $403.58m, while it rose 28.22% on a monthly basis. Imports of road vehicles stood at $360.45m, up by 35.36% YoY.

The import payments for the Textiles and Textile Articles group increased by 14.37% YoY to $467.00m, up 6.12% MoM. Within the group, Cotton imports fell by 3.69% YoY to $165.28m and by 9.51% MoM, whereas Man-Made Filaments and Man-Made Staple Fibers rose by 38.22% YoY and 25.97% YoY to $110.13m and $93.91m, respectively.

Imports of Chemical or Allied Industries products edged down by 1.63% YoY to $646.33m, though they rose 5.64% MoM. Fertilizers imports dropped by 55.48% YoY to $55.35m, and Pharmaceutical Products fell by 17.74% YoY to $39.52m, while Organic Chemicals rose by 20.31% YoY to $271.78m. Moreover, Plastics and Articles thereof imports grew by 18.29% YoY to $345.67m.

On a cumulative basis, during 1QFY27 (Jul-Sep), total imports as per BOP clocked in at $17.78bn, up by 14.31% YoY compared to $15.56bn in the same period last year. The Petroleum group imports stood at $4.31bn, up by 8.47% YoY, accounting for 24.26% of total imports.

The combined food groups recorded imports worth $2.26bn during the period, up by 17.74% YoY, with Oil Seeds and Oleaginous Fruit surging by 83.45% YoY to $586.45m. Machinery imports grew by 10.74% YoY to $2.69bn, Base Metals and Articles went up by 28.43% YoY to $1.76bn, and Vehicles and Transport Equipment rose by 26.02% YoY to $1.15bn.

Furthermore, Textile Group imports increased by 11.17% YoY to $1.45bn, while Chemical and Allied Industries products rose by 3.28% YoY to $1.89bn, with Fertilizers imports declining by 39.50% YoY to $143.42m.

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