Pakistan IT, Telecom exports hit record $4.6bn, miss $5bn target

Pakistan’s Information Technology (IT) and telecom exports climbed to a record $4.6 billion in FY2025-26, but the country fell short of the government’s ambitious $5 billion export target.

According to official figures, IT and telecom export remittances increased from $3.814 billion in FY2024-25 to $4.6 billion in FY2025-26, registering an annual growth of around 20.6 percent.

The sector ended the fiscal year on a strong note, with June 2026 exports rising to $416 million, compared with $373 million in May 2026 and $339 million in June 2025, reflecting both month-on-month and year-on-year growth.

Dr Noman Said, an IT exporter and CEO SI Global Solutions, believes several challenges, including persistently slow internet connectivity and frequent power outages, adversely affected the sector’s performance and prevented it from achieving its export target. However, despite the geopolitical uncertainty stemming from the Middle East crisis, the sector remained resilient and continued to post strong growth, he added.

Said urged the stakeholders of IT sector to review the gaps and shortcomings that caused failure to meet the target of $5 billion, and then a design comprehensive plan to achieve a realistic target in the financial year 2026-27.

Saad Shah, another IT exporter and CEO Hexalyze, said IT sector should collaborate to enhance its market share in major markets, including USA and EU.

“IT companies should also explore new markets in ASEAN and the Middle East regions.”

He pointed out that Pakistani IT companies have immense potential to grow their business in the Middle East countries despite prevailing geopolitical tension, which could be explored through state-level strategic partnerships.

“Owing to the emergence of artificial intelligence, IT companies are not receiving multiple projects from foreign clients, hence, the sector needs to enhance its talent pool and service portfolio to get long-term assignments,” he added.

Earlier, data released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) showed IT and telecom export remittances had dipped to $373 million in May from the record $423 million in April, an 11.8 percent monthly decline after consecutive months of exceptional performance.

During the first eleven months (July-May) of FY2025-26, cumulative IT and telecom export remittances had reached $4.184 billion, compared with $3.475 billion in the same period of the previous fiscal year, posting growth of over 20 percent.

The sector had witnessed some volatility during the fiscal year, with exports easing from $437 million in December 2025 to $374 million in January and $365 million in February, before rebounding to $413 million in March and hitting a record $423 million in April.

Despite missing the $5 billion target, the IT sector remained one of Pakistan’s best-performing export industries, supported by rising global demand for software and IT-enabled services, growing freelance earnings, and the expanding international presence of Pakistani technology companies.