March brought a modest month-on-month recovery for Pakistan’s textile sector, but the broader export trend remains flat to weak.
Pakistan’s textile and clothing exports rose to $1.35 billion in March 2026, up 1.5% from $1.33 billion in February, offering the sector a limited monthly rebound after February’s sharp sequential drop. The recovery, however, was not enough to reverse the broader slowdown visible in annual and cumulative figures.
On a year-on-year basis, March exports were still down 6.25% from $1.44 billion in March 2025, underlining that demand and pricing conditions remain under pressure. That annual decline matters more than the monthly uptick, because it suggests the sector has yet to regain the export momentum seen earlier in the cycle.
The cumulative picture is also subdued. During July 2025 to March 2026, textile exports totaled $13.61 billion, marginally below the $13.63 billion recorded in the same period of the previous fiscal year. In practical terms, that means Pakistan’s largest export industry is not contracting sharply, but it is also not delivering the growth needed to materially strengthen the country’s external account.
The wider trade backdrop remains difficult. Pakistan Bureau of Statistics data show total merchandise exports in March 2026 stood at $2.264 billion, down from $2.276 billion in February and well below $2.645 billion in March 2025.
For textile exporters, the next question is whether March marks the start of a steadier recovery or merely a temporary bounce in an otherwise stagnant fiscal year.
