Pakistan’s petroleum group import bill declined to $1.18 billion in December 2025, reflecting a 6 percent year-on-year decrease compared to $1.25 billion recorded in the same month last year, according to data released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).
Despite the annual decline, petroleum imports registered a notable increase on a month-on-month basis. Imports of petroleum products rose by 17.4 percent compared to November 2025, when the import bill stood at $1.01 billion. Petroleum products accounted for 20.62 percent of the country’s total import bill during December, highlighting their continued significance in Pakistan’s external trade structure.
On a cumulative basis, petroleum imports during the first half of FY26 declined slightly by 2.64 percent year-on-year to $7.09 billion, compared to $7.28 billion in the corresponding period last year. The moderation in petroleum imports during the period appears to be partly offset by rising import demand across several other major groups.
Overall imports surged on a cumulative basis, with total imports rising 12.27 percent year-on-year to $31.33 billion during 6MFY26, compared to $27.9 billion in the same period of FY25. On a monthly basis, total imports also posted a strong increase, reflecting sustained domestic demand and higher activity across multiple sectors.
The transport group emerged as one of the fastest-growing import categories. Cumulative transport imports jumped sharply by 109.2 percent year-on-year to $1.71 billion in 6MFY26, compared to $816.53 million recorded last year. In December alone, transport-related imports stood at $293.35 million, marking a 25.1 percent increase compared to November.
This surge was largely driven by road motor vehicle imports, which climbed to $267.46 million in December, up 19.1 percent month-on-month. On a cumulative basis, road motor vehicle imports nearly doubled to $1.58 billion during 6MFY26, compared to $766.01 million in the same period last year.
Imports of agricultural and other chemicals also recorded steady growth. During 6MFY26, this group’s imports increased by 7.69 percent year-on-year to $5.02 billion. In December, chemical imports stood at $865.73 million, reflecting a 12.8 percent month-on-month rise. The increase was primarily attributed to higher imports of plastic materials and medicinal products, which amounted to $245.51 million and $94.29 million, respectively.
Food imports continued to exert pressure on the import bill, rising by 19.9 percent year-on-year to $4.11 billion during 6MFY26, compared to $3.43 billion last year. In December, food imports rose 11 percent month-on-month to $803.90 million. Palm oil imports remained a major contributor, increasing by 19.6 percent cumulatively to $1.85 billion, while pulses imports declined by 15.9 percent year-on-year to $369.52 million and slipped marginally on a monthly basis.
Machinery imports also recorded a strong expansion, increasing by 15.4 percent year-on-year to $4.63 billion during 6MFY26. In December alone, machinery imports jumped 33.3 percent month-on-month to $814.68 million. Imports of electrical machinery stood at $158.99 million in December, slightly lower on a monthly basis but broadly stable cumulatively.
Meanwhile, the metal group’s import bill rose 16.8 percent year-on-year to $2.85 billion during 6MFY26. December metal imports surged 24.5 percent month-on-month to $511.20 million, driven mainly by a sharp rise in iron and steel imports, which climbed 32.8 percent to $245.19 million.
Textile imports remained largely unchanged on a cumulative basis at $2.59 billion during 6MFY26. However, December saw a 15.6 percent month-on-month increase to $460.15 million, even as imports declined nearly 15 percent compared to December last year.
Overall, the data indicates that while petroleum imports have eased on an annual basis, rising demand across transport, machinery, food, and industrial inputs continues to push Pakistan’s overall import bill higher during FY26.
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