Pakistan Reports Over $18 Billion Trade Data Discrepancy to IMF

After a review that identified differences between two systems applied to record imports, pakistan has documented a discrepancy exceeding $18 billion in its trade data over five fiscal years to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Key points

• The difference rose from $1.4 billion in FY2020-21 to more than $6.2 billion in FY2024-25.
• The discrepancy covers fiscal years 2020-21 through 2024-25, with the gap between the two datasets increasing significantly over the period.
• After these recommendations, the PBS held consultative workshops in June and July 2025.
• The review focused in particular on the mismatch between Pakistan's recorded imports from China and China's documented exports to Pakistan.
• The PBS prepared a detailed report on the transition between the two data sources and submitted it to the Ministry of Planning and the Ministry of Finance.

Notably, a high-level official committee submitted its findings to the IMF after the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) examined differences between data obtained through PRAL and the Pakistan Single Window (PSW), according to a report by a national daily.

Meanwhile, the PBS prepared a detailed report on the transition between the two data sources and submitted it to the Ministry of Planning and the Ministry of Finance. The report was additionally shared with the IMF. Chinese IPPs Demand Rs. 498 Billion in Unpaid Dues.

Notably, the discrepancy covers fiscal years 2020-21 through 2024-25, with the gap between the two datasets increasing significantly over the period. The committee's analysis discovered the after differences between PRAL and PSW trade data. FY2020-21 $1.4 billion. FY2021-22 $2.527 billion. FY2022-23 $2.402 billion. FY2023-24: $5.572 billion. FY2024-25 $6.224 billion.

For context, the difference rose from $1.4 billion in FY2020-21 to more than $6.2 billion in FY2024-25. Throughout the five-year period, the cumulative discrepancy exceeded $18 billion.

Meanwhile, the review discovered that the differences were concentrated in specific categories of goods declarations recorded in the two systems, rather than being evenly distributed throughout all import data. China trade mismatch triggered investigation.

When the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), acting on the direction of the Prime Minister's Office, formed a committee to investigate discrepancies in bilateral trade figures with China, the matter first came under scrutiny in 2025.

Meanwhile, the review focused in particular on the mismatch between Pakistan's recorded imports from China and China's documented exports to Pakistan. The committee discovered that import data employed by the FBR's Directorate of Research and Statistics and the PBS, generated through the WeBOC system, had not been comprehensively updated since 2017. Citi Pharma Gets CCP Approval to Acquire Pakheim International Pharma.

Consequently, imports recorded under certain Goods Declarations introduced afterwards were not included in the dataset employed for official reporting. The omitted categories represented an increasing volume of imports, leading to underreporting in the recorded import figures.

For context, the committee recommended integrating the PBS and the Directorate of Research and Statistics with the PSW, reviewing reporting procedures annually, and establishing bilateral trade data exchange mechanisms with major trading partners.

It additionally recommended closer coordination between the PBS, Chinese authorities, and the International Trade Centre to ensure that Chinese exports to Afghanistan transiting through Pakistan were properly reflected in trade statistics.

After these recommendations, the PBS held consultative workshops in June and July 2025. Participants triggered concern that data derived from the PSW indicated a larger trade deficit and cautioned that any change in the official data source needed to be handled carefully given Pakistan's engagement with the IMF. Economy Now Solid, Inflation Down: SBP Governor.

In practice, the finance minister subsequently formed a committee to examine the transition from PRAL-based reporting to PSW data. The committee's comparison covered 15 Goods Declaration categories under PSW data and seven under the PRAL-based data applied by the PBS.

In practice, the analysis identified the facilitation scheme category as the principal source of the widening gap. Other categories indicated comparatively minor differences, suggesting that the discrepancies were concentrated in newly introduced or expanded reporting categories.

In practice, the findings indicate that differences in the coverage of import declarations contributed to the growing divergence between the two datasets.

In practice, the administration has stated the discrepancy has been identified and reconciled. The review additionally recommended improvements to data integration, regular reporting checks, and information-sharing with major trading partners to reduce the risk of similar inconsistencies going forward. Stay Connected with ProPakistani.

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For now, pakistan Reports Over $18 Billion Trade Data Discrepancy to IMF remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.