Pakistan economy grows 3.04 percent in last fiscal year as industry, services outperform forecasts

Pakistan economy grows 3.04 percent in last fiscal year as industry, services outperform forecasts
A vendor displays the rice quality on a wholesale shop at a market in Karachi, Pakistan, on April 3, 2025. (AP/File)
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Updated 08 October 2025
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Pakistan economy grows 3.04 percent in last fiscal year as industry, services outperform forecasts

Pakistan economy grows 3.04 percent in last fiscal year as industry, services outperform forecasts
  • National Accounts Committee says Pakistan’s national economy is now valued at $407.2 billion
  • World Bank has projected 2.6 percent growth for the current fiscal year amid flood-related disruptions

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan posted a gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 3.04 percent in the last fiscal year (FY2025), the National Accounts Committee (NAC) said on Wednesday, revising its earlier estimate of 2.68 percent after stronger-than-expected performance in industry and services.

The updated figures, released after the committee’s 114th meeting, also showed quarter-on-quarter improvement, with growth recorded at 1.80 percent in Q1, 1.94 percent in Q2, 2.79 percent in Q3, and 5.66 percent in Q4 of FY2025.

“The committee ... approved the updated annual growth of GDP at 3.04 percent during FY2025, which was estimated at 2.68 percent during the previous meeting,” the NAC said in a statement released after the meeting. “The updated growth rates in agriculture, industry, and services are 1.51 percent, 5.26 percent, and 3.0 percent, respectively, as compared to earlier growth rates of 0.56 percent, 4.77 percent, and 2.91 percent.”

The NAC said the size of Pakistan’s economy now stands at Rs113.7 trillion ($407.2 billion), compared to Rs105.2 trillion ($371.8 billion) in the previous year.

The statement said growth in the final quarter of the last fiscal year was led by a 19.95 percent surge in industry and a 3.72 percentrise in services, with the electricity, gas, and water supply sector showing an exceptional 121.38 percent increase due to higher subsidies and base effects.

Livestock and construction also posted gains, while the textile, pharmaceutical, and transport sectors contributed positively.

The NAC said the upward revisions were mainly due to “improvements in annual benchmarks and better performance in key industries, leading to higher quarterly GDP growth rates.”

Pakistan is currently trying to recover from recent monsoon floods that inundated large parts of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, damaging homes, infrastructure, and farmland, with the World Bank projecting the national economy to grow by 2.6 percent in the ongoing fiscal year (FY2026), lowering its earlier estimate of 3.1 percent.

It said the country’s economic recovery would depend on an agricultural rebound and lower inflation in the coming years, with growth expected to accelerate to 3.4 percent in the next fiscal year (FY2027).


Pakistan eyes European trade corridor via Romania to boost blue economy

Pakistan eyes European trade corridor via Romania to boost blue economy
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Pakistan eyes European trade corridor via Romania to boost blue economy

Pakistan eyes European trade corridor via Romania to boost blue economy
  • Maritime minister, Romanian envoy discuss linking Karachi Port with Port of Constanța to expand access to European markets
  • Cooperation to focus on digital port systems, training and private-sector investment in maritime infrastructure

KARACHI: Pakistan and Romania are exploring the creation of new maritime linkages between Karachi Port and the Port of Constanța on the Black Sea as part of Islamabad’s push to expand its blue economy and open trade routes to European markets, the ministry of maritime affairs said on Tuesday.

Pakistan’s maritime sector, which underpins its emerging blue economy, contributes less than one percent to GDP but is central to long-term economic plans that envision the country as a regional industrial and trade hub. The government aims to expand the number of operational ports from three to six by 2047, with Karachi, Port Qasim and Gwadar serving as anchors for new regional shipping and logistics corridors linking the Middle East, Central Asia, Eastern Europe and Africa.

The Port of Constanța, one of the largest on the Black Sea, offers direct connectivity to Central and Eastern Europe through the Danube River corridor, providing a potential new route for Pakistani exports to EU markets.

Discussions on the issue took place between Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry and Romanian Ambassador Dr. Dan Stoenescu in Karachi, with Rear Admiral Atiq-ur-Rehman, Acting Chairman of the Karachi Port Trust, also in attendance.

“Pakistan wants to play a bigger role in global maritime trade by building linkages that connect the Middle East, Central Asia, Eastern Europe, and Africa,” Chaudhry was quoted as saying in a statement by the maritime ministry, adding that stronger ties with Romania could help Pakistan diversify its trade and strengthen its role as a regional maritime hub.

Chaudhry said Pakistan’s existing ports are expected to reach full capacity before 2047, underscoring the need for new infrastructure and international partnerships.

“Strengthening maritime infrastructure and connectivity is key to turning Pakistan into a major industrial and trade hub,” he said.

The two sides discussed cooperation in training, digital port systems, environmental management, and capacity building. Chaudhry said developing a skilled workforce to manage next-generation port systems was central to Pakistan’s modernization plans.

Both sides reaffirmed their resolve to expand collaboration across economic, educational, and cultural sectors, reflecting what the ministry described as a growing partnership between Pakistan and Romania.

According to the maritime ministry statement, Romanian Ambassador Stoenescu praised the quality of Pakistani exports and said his country was interested in importing sports goods, surgical instruments, and agricultural products. 

He called maritime cooperation “a practical way to deepen regional integration and shared prosperity.”