KEY POINTS
- Total inflows in first fiscal quarter rise 8.4pc to $9.54bn
- Saudi Arabia remains top source for third consecutive month
- Finance adviser calls remittances a “lifeline” for households
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan received $3.18 billion in overseas workers’ remittances in September 2025, an 11.3 percent increase from a year earlier, the central bank said on Thursday, as inflows from Saudi Arabia remained the largest source for the third consecutive month.
The increase signals renewed strength in inflows through formal banking channels and provides much-needed support to the country’s fragile external account.
In the first quarter of fiscal year 2025–26 (July to September 2025), remittances totalled $9.54 billion, up 8.4 per cent from $8.8 billion in the corresponding period of the previous fiscal year, according to the State Bank of Pakistan’s latest data.
The SBP data show that Saudi Arabia remained the single largest source of remittances for the third consecutive month, contributing $750.9 million in September, followed by the United Arab Emirates ($677.1 million), the United Kingdom ($454.8 million), and the United States ($269 million). Together, these four countries accounted for nearly two-thirds of the total inflows sent by expatriate Pakistanis.
The central bank’s figures indicate that inflows from Saudi Arabia consistently topped the sources of remittances into Pakistan since July.
It clearly underscores the dominance of the Kingdom as the primary employment destination for Pakistani migrant workers, particularly in the construction, logistics, and service sectors.
In a post on social platform X (formerly Twitter), Khurram Shehzad, Adviser to the Finance Minister, has said the robust inflows demonstrate resilience in the economy.
Pakistan Remittance story continues to stay strong!
🇵🇰 $3.2 billion in remittances flowed into Pakistan in September 2025, up 11.3% YoY – a lifeline for households & a cushion for our external account.
In 1QFY26 (Jul-Sep25), inflows hit $9.5 billion vs $8.8 billion last year -…
— Khurram Schehzad (@kschehzad) October 9, 2025
“$3.2 billion in remittances flowed into Pakistan in September 2025, up 11.3% year-on-year — a lifeline for households and a cushion for our external account,” he wrote, adding that “remittances aren’t just money — they’re resilience.”
Analysts said the steady rise in remittances reflects stronger confidence among overseas Pakistanis in the country’s formal transfer systems, supported by relative stability in the exchange rate and policy continuity under the current IMF program.
Remittances — defined as money sent home by citizens working abroad — form one of Pakistan’s largest sources of foreign exchange, helping to finance imports and stabilise the rupee amid external financing challenges.
According to economists, the upward trend provides temporary relief to the balance of payments but underscores the country’s dependence on external labour income rather than export-led growth.
