Foreign-exchange receipts from textiles slipped to $1.43 billion, although year-on-year growth remained positive and the sector still generated nearly three-fifths of Pakistan’s goods export receipts.
Pakistan’s textile export receipts fell 12.48% month on month to $1.43 billion in August 2026, down from $1.64 billion in July, according to State Bank of Pakistan data.
Despite the monthly decline, receipts remained 1.99% above the $1.41 billion recorded in August 2025. Textiles accounted for 58.32% of Pakistan’s total goods export receipts during the month, maintaining their dominant position in the country’s export basket.
Value-added categories soften
Knitwear generated $443.91 million, making it the largest individual textile category, followed by other made-up textile articles at $429.96 million and readymade garments at $343.24 million.
Knitwear receipts declined 6.57% month on month and 0.78% year on year, while readymade garments dropped 14.79% from July but remained 4.02% higher than a year earlier. Other made-up textiles fell 13.05% monthly while increasing 3.43% year on year.
Cotton-related receipts stood at about $180.1 million, down 18% from July but 4.9% above August 2025.
Two datasets tell different stories
The SBP figures should not be confused with Pakistan Bureau of Statistics merchandise-trade data. PBS earlier reported August textile shipments of around $1.60 billion, down 12.71% from July but up 4.46% year on year.
The difference is methodological: PBS records customs-based exports, while SBP records export receipts realised through the banking system. SBP itself notes that the two series differ because of timing, coverage, valuation and classification.
Export momentum needs confirmation
The August decline follows relatively strong July receipts of $1.64 billion, up 3.91% year on year.
For textile manufacturers, the more important signal is therefore whether September receipts recover and value-added categories regain momentum. Knitwear, garments and made-ups remain the critical indicators because they carry substantially more domestic manufacturing value than basic fibre and yarn exports.
