KARACHI: Pakistan’s current account deficit has ballooned to $3.4 billion during first quarter (July – September) of the current fiscal year 2021/2022 (1QFY22) owing to significant widening in trade deficit.
According to balance of payment (BOP) statistics released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Tuesday, the current account deficit widened to $3.4 billion during the first quarter of the current fiscal year as compared with a surplus of $865 million in the corresponding period of the last fiscal year.
The country’s trade deficit has swollen by massive 102.10 per cent to $11.75 billion during the quarter under review as compared with the deficit of $5.81 billion in the corresponding quarter of the last fiscal year.
The import bill registered a sharp growth of 66.11 per cent to $18.75 billion during July – September of the current fiscal year as compared with $11.29 billion in the same period of the last fiscal year.
Meanwhile, the exports have also exhibited a growth of 28 per cent to $6.99 billion during the quarter under review as compared with $5.47 billion in the same period of the last fiscal year.
Overseas Pakistanis have remitted $8.034 billion during first quarter (July – September) of the fiscal year 2021/2022.
The home remittances during the first quarter registered a rise of 12.5 per cent when compared with $7.143 billion in the corresponding period of the last fiscal year.
The inflows of remittances were $2.7 billion in September 2021 as compared with $2.28 billion in the same month of the last year, showing an increase of 17.1 per cent.
The current account deficit narrowed in September 2021 to $1.113 billion when compared with the deficit of $1.47 billion in August 2021.
The current account deficit was $1.916 billion in the last fiscal year 2020/2021.
