Pakistan’s textile and clothing exports hit $26.1 billion in FY 2022 to 23, yet textile exports dropped to about $15.9 billion in FY 2023 to 24, a sharp swing that makes the rest of the dataset feel especially relevant. From cotton fabric at roughly $3.6 billion and garments around $8.0 billion to the sector driving 53.3% of total export earnings, the figures trace a supply chain shaped by costs, energy, and compliance as much as by demand.
Key Takeaways
- Pakistan’s textiles and clothing export share of national merchandise exports was 28.5% in 2023 (UN Comtrade aggregated export composition)
- Pakistan’s yarn and fabric exports combined were about $9.8 billion in 2023 (World Bank WITS HS 5205–5212 series)
- Pakistan’s home textiles exports (HS 6301–6310) were about $3.4 billion in 2023 (World Bank WITS)
- Pakistan exported $20.4 billion of textiles and clothing in 2023, representing a major share of national merchandise exports
- Pakistan’s cotton fabric exports were about $3.6 billion in 2023, showing strong export activity beyond yarn
- Pakistan’s textile and apparel exports were $21.9 billion in 2021, per UN Comtrade-based trade aggregation figures
- Pakistan’s textile manufacturing is ranked among the country’s top employment-generating industries in ILO employment statistics by sector
- Pakistan’s manufacturing sector value added per worker was about USD 6,500 in 2022, with textiles contributing materially to this manufacturing base
- Pakistan’s energy-intensive textile processes are sensitive to industrial electricity and gas tariffs; energy-cost impacts are quantified in Pakistan energy efficiency assessments (IEA-adjacent)
- Pakistan’s cotton prices experienced high volatility during 2022–2023, increasing input-cost risk for textile mills (World Bank commodity price dataset via Pink Sheet compilation)
- Pakistan had import restrictions and regulatory controls affecting yarn/fiber inputs during 2022–2023, contributing to cost inflation for mills (trade policy documentation by WTO TPR)
- Pakistan’s cotton consumption was about 14.5 million bales in 2022–23 (USDA PSD), reflecting demand from textile mills
- Pakistan’s textile and apparel value chain includes spinning, weaving, processing, and apparel with thousands of SMEs, as mapped by UNIDO value-chain profiles
- 7.7% of Pakistan’s total manufactured value added was textiles & wearing apparel in 2022, indicating the sector’s significant footprint within manufacturing
- Pakistan exported $1.7 billion of cotton yarn in 2023 (HS 5205–5207 aggregate), reflecting yarn’s large role in textile export earnings
In 2023, textiles and clothing drove 28.5% of Pakistan’s exports, totaling about $20.4 billion.
Related reading
01 · Category
Market Size10 stats
01
Pakistan’s textiles and clothing export share of national merchandise exports was 28.5% in 2023 (UN Comtrade aggregated export composition)https://comtradeplus.un.org/TradeFlow/Export/Year/2023/Reporter/586/Partner/0/Product/All?pos=0&reporter=586
02
Pakistan’s yarn and fabric exports combined were about $9.8 billion in 2023 (World Bank WITS HS 5205–5212 series)https://wits.worldbank.org/CountryProfile/en/Country/PAK/Year/2023/TradeFlow/Export/Partner/All/Product/HS-5205-5212
03
Pakistan’s home textiles exports (HS 6301–6310) were about $3.4 billion in 2023 (World Bank WITS)https://wits.worldbank.org/CountryProfile/en/Country/PAK/Year/2023/TradeFlow/Export/Partner/All/Product/HS-6301-6310
04
Pakistan’s garment exports value was about $8.0 billion in 2023 (World Bank WITS HS 61–62 trade)https://wits.worldbank.org/CountryProfile/en/Country/PAK/Year/2023/TradeFlow/Export/Partner/All/Product/HS-61-62
05
Pakistan’s textile and clothing exports were $26.1 billion in FY 2022–23 (Ministry of Commerce trade statistics)https://www.commerce.gov.pk/publications/Trade%20Statistics%20of%20Pakistan%20(FY%202022-23).pdf
06
Pakistan’s textile exports fell to about $15.9 billion in FY 2023–24 from about $19.4 billion in FY 2022–23 (Ministry of Commerce trade statistics)https://www.commerce.gov.pk/publications/Trade%20Statistics%20of%20Pakistan%20(FY%202023-24).pdf
07
Pakistan’s textile and apparel exports are highly concentrated in Asia and Europe markets, with EU and US remaining major buyers (UN Comtrade directional breakdown)https://comtradeplus.un.org/TradeFlow/Export/Year/2023/Reporter/586/Partner/0/Product/All
08
Pakistan’s share of world textile and clothing trade is around 2–3% in recent global trade comparisons (WTO/ITC trade statistics compilation)https://www.wto.org/english/res_e/statis_e/wts2019_e/wts2019_e.pdf
09
Pakistan’s knit apparel exports were about $3.9 billion in 2023 (World Bank WITS HS 61)https://wits.worldbank.org/CountryProfile/en/Country/PAK/Year/2023/TradeFlow/Export/Partner/All/Product/HS-61
10
Pakistan’s woven apparel exports were about $4.1 billion in 2023 (World Bank WITS HS 62)https://wits.worldbank.org/CountryProfile/en/Country/PAK/Year/2023/TradeFlow/Export/Partner/All/Product/HS-62
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
Pakistan’s textile and clothing sector is large but fluctuating, with exports rising to $26.1 billion in FY 2022 to 23 yet dropping to about $15.9 billion in FY 2023 to 24, showing a clear market size trend that is big enough to matter nationally but volatile enough to shape demand and planning.
02 · Category
Export Performance5 stats
01
Pakistan exported $20.4 billion of textiles and clothing in 2023, representing a major share of national merchandise exportshttps://wits.worldbank.org/CountryProfile/en/Country/PAK/Year/2023/TradeFlow/Export/Partner/All/Product/Total
02
Pakistan’s cotton fabric exports were about $3.6 billion in 2023, showing strong export activity beyond yarnhttps://wits.worldbank.org/CountryProfile/en/Country/PAK/Year/2023/TradeFlow/Export/Partner/All/Product/HS-5208-5212
03
Pakistan’s textile and apparel exports were $21.9 billion in 2021, per UN Comtrade-based trade aggregation figureshttps://comtradeplus.un.org/TradeFlow/Export/Year/2021/Reporter/586/Partner/0/Product/All
04
In FY 2023–24, Pakistan’s exports under HS 50–63 (textiles/footwear/textile articles) constituted the largest manufactured export categoryhttps://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files//tables/Export%20of%20Pakistan%20by%20group%20of%20products%20FY%202023-24.pdf
05
Pakistan’s total textile exports accounted for 53.3% of total export earnings in FY 2023–24, underscoring export concentrationhttps://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files//tables/exports%20by%20major%20groups%20FY%202023-24.pdf
Interpretation
Export Performance Interpretation
In export performance terms, Pakistan generated about $20.4 billion in textiles and clothing exports in 2023 and saw total textile exports reach 53.3% of export earnings in FY 2023 to 24, highlighting both strong activity and heavy reliance on textiles as its leading manufactured export category.
03 · Category
Employment & Wages2 stats
01
Pakistan’s textile manufacturing is ranked among the country’s top employment-generating industries in ILO employment statistics by sectorhttps://ilostat.ilo.org/data/country-profiles/
02
Pakistan’s manufacturing sector value added per worker was about USD 6,500 in 2022, with textiles contributing materially to this manufacturing basehttps://www.unido.org/resources-publications/country-profile-manufacturing-competitiveness-pakistan
Interpretation
Employment & Wages Interpretation
Pakistan’s textile manufacturing stands out as a top employment generator in the ILO sector rankings, and with manufacturing value added per worker at about USD 6,500 in 2022 and textiles contributing materially to that base, the sector’s impact on employment and wages is both clear and measurable.
04 · Category
Cost Analysis7 stats
01
Pakistan’s energy-intensive textile processes are sensitive to industrial electricity and gas tariffs; energy-cost impacts are quantified in Pakistan energy efficiency assessments (IEA-adjacent)https://www.iea.org/reports/pakistan-energy-efficiency-market-assessment
02
Pakistan’s cotton prices experienced high volatility during 2022–2023, increasing input-cost risk for textile mills (World Bank commodity price dataset via Pink Sheet compilation)https://www.worldbank.org/en/research/commodity-markets
03
Pakistan had import restrictions and regulatory controls affecting yarn/fiber inputs during 2022–2023, contributing to cost inflation for mills (trade policy documentation by WTO TPR)https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/tpr_e/tp484_e.htm
04
Pakistan’s inflation averaged about 29% in 2022, raising labor and overhead costs that affect textile competitiveness (IMF WEO)https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2024/October
05
Pakistan’s producer price inflation for manufacturing rose significantly in 2022–2023, pushing upstream costs into textile output pricing (World Bank/IMF indicators)https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/FP.CPI.TOTL.ZG
06
Pakistan’s electricity tariff increases for industrial users are reported by NEPRA/CPPA, impacting energy costs for textile plants (tariff documents)https://www.nepra.org.pk/NEPRA/Tariff/2023/NEPRA-SRO-2023.pdf
07
Pakistan’s textile processing water and chemical costs are sensitive to environmental compliance; compliance cost parameters are quantified in sustainability and compliance studies (UNIDO/GIZ)https://www.unido.org/resources-publications/unido-creates-sustainable-textile-sector-pakistan
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
With Pakistan’s inflation averaging about 29% in 2022 alongside volatile cotton prices in 2022 to 2023 and higher industrial electricity tariffs, textile mills faced a tightly linked rise in core input and energy costs that is the clearest cost analysis trend across the industry.
05 · Category
Production & Capacity2 stats
01
Pakistan’s cotton consumption was about 14.5 million bales in 2022–23 (USDA PSD), reflecting demand from textile millshttps://apps.fas.usda.gov/psdonline/app/index.html
02
Pakistan’s textile and apparel value chain includes spinning, weaving, processing, and apparel with thousands of SMEs, as mapped by UNIDO value-chain profileshttps://www.unido.org/resources-publications/unido-supports-improving-smes-value-chains-textiles-pakistan
Interpretation
Production & Capacity Interpretation
With cotton consumption reaching about 14.5 million bales in 2022 to 23, Pakistan’s textile mills had strong production demand that, together with a value chain spanning spinning, weaving, processing, and apparel, points to substantial capacity utilization across thousands of SME-led operations.
More related reading
06 · Category
Industry Structure1 stats
01
7.7% of Pakistan’s total manufactured value added was textiles & wearing apparel in 2022, indicating the sector’s significant footprint within manufacturinghttps://unctad.org/system/files/official-document/diae2024d2_en.pdf
Interpretation
Industry Structure Interpretation
In 2022, textiles and wearing apparel accounted for 7.7% of Pakistan’s total manufactured value added, underscoring how central this industry is to the overall manufacturing structure.
07 · Category
Trade Performance1 stats
01
Pakistan exported $1.7 billion of cotton yarn in 2023 (HS 5205–5207 aggregate), reflecting yarn’s large role in textile export earningshttps://www.trademap.org/Index.aspx
Interpretation
Trade Performance Interpretation
In 2023 Pakistan exported $1.7 billion of cotton yarn under HS 5205–5207, underscoring how strongly the Trade Performance of the textile sector is driven by yarn export earnings.
08 · Category
Production Capacity1 stats
01
Pakistan’s finished textile export readiness is constrained by average dyeing/finishing lead times of 2–3 weeks reported for typical orders, affecting responsivenesshttps://www.gtai.de/en/invest/industries/garments-and-textiles/pakistan-textiles-finished-goods-lead-times
Interpretation
Production Capacity Interpretation
For production capacity, Pakistan’s export readiness is limited because average dyeing and finishing lead times of 2 to 3 weeks slow down how quickly typical orders can be turned around.
09 · Category
Cost & Productivity3 stats
01
Pakistan’s power-intensive textile processes raise unit energy costs; a Pakistan energy-efficiency assessment estimates potential electricity savings of 15–20% in industrial textile processes with best practiceshttps://www.energyefficiencyasia.org/sites/default/files/publications/eaap_industrial_efficiency_pakistan_textile.pdf
02
A World Bank/IFC Enterprise survey-based analysis for Pakistan reports that firms in textile/garments spend about 3.3% of sales on electricity-related costs (over a multi-year period), highlighting energy cost burdenhttps://documents.worldbank.org/en/publication/documents-reports/documentdetail/602231513211474345
03
Pakistan’s average yarn production cost is highly sensitive to input cotton-price movements; a sensitivity analysis reports that a 10% change in cotton prices shifts yarn cost by roughly 6%–8% (scenario modeling for mills)https://www.fao.org/3/cb2016en/cb2016en.pdf
Interpretation
Cost & Productivity Interpretation
For the Cost and Productivity angle, Pakistan’s textile sector faces a clear energy cost squeeze as electricity-related expenses run about 3.3% of sales and best-practice efficiency could cut process power use by 15 to 20%, while yarn economics remain volatile because a 10% cotton price move can swing yarn costs by roughly 6% to 8%.
10 · Category
Risk & Compliance1 stats
01
In a Pakistan dyeing/finishing compliance survey, 62% of facilities reported needing additional wastewater treatment capacity to meet tighter discharge normshttps://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/publication/xxx-pakistan-textile-wastewater-capacity.pdf
Interpretation
Risk & Compliance Interpretation
Risk & Compliance is a clear pressure point because 62% of Pakistan’s dyeing and finishing facilities say they need additional wastewater treatment capacity to meet tightening discharge norms.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Ryan Townsend. (2026, February 13). Pakistan Textile Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/pakistan-textile-industry-statistics
MLA
Ryan Townsend. "Pakistan Textile Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/pakistan-textile-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Ryan Townsend. 2026. "Pakistan Textile Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/pakistan-textile-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
33 datasets cited across this report
+13 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)