Pakistan reconciles over $18 billion discrepancy in trade data spanning five years

Pakistan has reconciled trade-data differences totalling about $18.13 billion across FY2021 to FY2025, according to a committee report shared with the IMF, Profit by Pakistan Today reported. The gaps arose between import figures compiled using Pakistan Revenue Automation Limited (PRAL) data and those drawn from the Pakistan Single Window (PSW).

The annual difference rose from $1.4 billion in FY2021 to $6.224 billion in FY2025, after reaching $5.572 billion in FY2024. The committee attributed most of the gap to differences in reporting categories, particularly imports recorded under facilitation schemes, rather than problems with older records. It recommended better integration of the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, FBR and PSW, along with annual reviews and data-sharing with major trading partners.