Major Exports of Pakistan
What does Pakistan sell to the world? Textiles, rice, leather, sports goods, surgical instruments and a booming IT sector — the complete export basket with FY2025–26 figures.
Last updated: 11 October 2026
Key numbers
Pakistan’s exports in numbers
FY2025–26 (July 2025 – June 2026), per TDAP/PBS via SDPI.
Merchandise exports
IT exports (record)
Textile + leather share
Trade deficit
Inside this guide
In this guide
Everything about Pakistan’s exports
The basket
What Pakistan exports
A narrow basket: textiles and leather alone are nearly two-thirds of merchandise exports.
Textiles & apparel
Knitwear ($3.7B), readymade garments ($3.2B), bedwear ($2.4B) — the backbone of the export economy.
Rice (basmati & coarse)
Fell 33% in FY26 on weak prices; rebounded in July 2026 (+19%). Pakistan’s flagship food export.
IT & digital services
Up 20.6% to a record — Pakistan’s most dynamic export segment.
Sports goods
Sialkot’s footballs and gloves — up 13% in FY26; supplies World Cup balls.
Surgical instruments
Sialkot’s other speciality — ~70% of the world’s surgical instruments are made here.
Meat & leather
Bovine meat up 12%; leather goods part of the $18.98B textile-leather bloc.
FY2025–26
Export figures FY2025–26
Merchandise exports fell 5.97% to $30.13B while imports rose 7.89% to $69.60B — widening the deficit 21.57% to $39.47B (TDAP via SDPI).
| Category | FY2025–26 | Change YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Textiles | $13.5B | −0.5% |
| Textile + leather (combined) | $18.98B | ~flat |
| Rice | $2.19B | −33% |
| Bedlinen | $4.41B | stagnant |
| Cotton yarn | $750M | +14% |
| Sports equipment | $365M | +13% |
| Bovine meat | $405M | +12% |
| IT services | $4.6B | +20.6% (record) |
| Services (total) | $10B | +18.7% |
July 2026 bounce: textiles +8.1% to $1.814B; rice +19.15% to $200M. The deficit story: Pakistan’s trade deficit.
Backbone
Textiles: the backbone
Textiles have been Pakistan’s top export since independence — cotton from Punjab and Sindh, spun, woven and stitched in Faisalabad, Karachi and Sialkot.
Garments ($3.2B)
Readymade garments up 3.8% in FY26 — the value-added star.
Bedlinen ($4.41B)
Bedwear exports stagnant but massive — Pakistan is a top global supplier.
Cotton & yarn ($750M)
Cotton yarn up 14% despite flood-hit domestic crop.
Digital
The digital surge: IT exports hit $4.6B
The brightest line in the FY26 data: IT exports up 20.6% to a record $4.6B, with total services exports at $10B (+18.7%). Software, freelancing and BPO now rival rice as a foreign-exchange earner — and unlike commodities, they grow.
IT exports: $4.6B
Pakistan’s most dynamic export segment — freelancers, software houses and startups selling to the US, EU and Gulf.
Destinations
Where Pakistan’s exports go
The US is the single largest buyer; the EU (GSP+) and UK take the bulk of textiles; China buys yarn and rice; the Gulf buys food and meat.
| Destination | Key buys |
|---|---|
| United States | Textiles, garments, bedlinen — largest single market |
| European Union | Textiles under GSP+ preferences |
| United Kingdom | Garments, bedwear |
| China | Cotton yarn, rice |
| UAE / Saudi Arabia | Rice, meat, food products |
| Afghanistan / Central Asia | Food, pharmaceuticals, cement |
Full destination breakdown: exports by country.
All guides
All Pakistan export guides
Twelve detailed guides on the export economy.
Textile Exports
$13.5B: the backbone — knitwear, garments, bedwear.
Rice Exports
$2.19B: basmati and coarse rice — the FY26 slump and rebound.
Leather Exports
Hides, garments and footwear — the other half of the 63%.
Sports Goods
$365M: Sialkot’s footballs — World Cup balls made here.
Surgical Instruments
Sialkot’s steel — most of the world’s surgical tools.
IT Exports
$4.6B record: software, freelancing, BPO.
Cotton Exports
$750M yarn: the raw fibre trade.
Meat Exports
$405M: bovine meat’s Gulf-driven growth.
Bedlinen Exports
$4.41B: sheets and duvets to the world.
Garments Exports
$3.2B: readymade garments — the value-added star.
Exports by Country
USA, EU, UK, China, Gulf — who buys what.
Trade Deficit
$39.47B: why imports dwarf exports.
Questions
Pakistan’s exports: FAQs
What is Pakistan’s biggest export?
What are Pakistan’s major exports?
How much did Pakistan export in FY2025–26?
What is Pakistan’s biggest food export?
Does Pakistan export footballs?
What is Pakistan’s trade deficit?
Follow the export story
From Sialkot’s surgical steel to Karachi’s container terminals — the data behind Pakistan’s trade, updated with every PBS release.
Figures from the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan and Pakistan Bureau of Statistics via SDPI (FY2025–26) and PBS monthly releases; figures are rounded and subject to revision. Images are credited to their sources.