The sector remains Pakistan’s main export engine, but growth is narrow, with garments and cotton yarn offsetting weakness in cotton cloth, towels and synthetic textiles.
Pakistan’s textile exports rose 1.29% to US$15.025 billion during July–April 2025-26, compared with US$14.834 billion in the same period last year, according to PBS-based trade data. The increase was modest, but important: overall national exports fell 6.26% to US$25.209 billion, meaning textiles accounted for nearly 60% of Pakistan’s export earnings during the first ten months of the fiscal year.
Garments and yarn support growth
The strongest support came from value-added and intermediate textile categories. Ready-made garment exports increased 4.85% to US$3.558 billion, while bedwear rose 1.85% to US$2.617 billion. Knitwear, Pakistan’s largest textile export category, edged up 0.92% to US$4.156 billion.
Cotton yarn exports grew more strongly, rising 11.29% to US$641.042 million, suggesting some recovery in upstream demand. Made-up articles excluding towels and bedwear also improved, reaching about US$654.59 million, while exports of all other textile materials increased 8.06% to US$660.137 million.
Weakness remains in core fabric categories
The data also shows pressure in several traditional segments. Cotton cloth exports declined 8.79% to US$1.414 billion, while towel exports slipped 1.43% to about US$890 million. Yarn other than cotton yarn also fell 4.61% to US$26.318 million.
This mixed pattern matters because Pakistan’s competitiveness depends not only on garment shipments but also on the health of spinning, weaving, processing and made-up textile units. A rise in garments alongside weakness in cotton cloth points to uneven recovery across the value chain.
April brought a short-term rebound
April 2026 was stronger than the cumulative trend. Textile exports reached US$1.480 billion, up 21.27% year-on-year from US$1.220 billion and 11.26% higher than March’s US$1.328 billion.
However, the broader trade balance remains under pressure. PBS reported April exports of US$2.479 billion against imports of US$6.763 billion, leaving a monthly trade deficit of US$4.284 billion.
The next signal will be whether April’s textile rebound continues into May and June. Without stronger growth in fabric, towels and higher-value product categories, Pakistan’s textile export recovery will remain fragile rather than broad-based.
