Pakistan’s information technology sector has achieved a new milestone. In the fiscal year 2025-26, IT and IT-enabled services exports reached an all-time high of $4.6 billion. This is a big jump of about 20 percent, or $786 million, from $3.814 billion in the previous year.
The State Bank of Pakistan released the data showing strong growth. These exports include software development, IT consultancy, freelance work, call centers, and other digital services. Freelancers played a major role, bringing in over $1 billion in many recent reports.
This record comes despite missing the government’s $5 billion target by around $400 million. Challenges like slow internet speeds and power outages held back faster growth. Still, the sector showed great resilience.
Industry leaders are happy with the progress. Pasha Muhammad Umair Nizam from P@SHA said it proves Pakistani tech companies are competitive globally. He thanked government bodies like the Ministry of IT, SIFC, PSEB, and SBP for their support. He called for continued policies, better skills training, easier business rules, and more international market access to keep the momentum going.
The government has helped by extending tax benefits for IT firms and freelancers for three more years. Companies are also expanding into new markets in Asia-Pacific, such as Japan and Singapore, besides the traditional US and Europe. Areas like Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), and gaming are growing fast.
Pakistan has a young, talented workforce of hundreds of thousands of developers. With right support, the sector can create more jobs and bring more foreign money. Experts believe consistent policies and better infrastructure will help reach even higher targets like $10 billion in the coming years.