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Who does Pakistan rely on?

The largest supplier of Pakistan in 2024 is China, with 29% of what Pakistan buys. Its share was 24.8% in 2019 and 7.5% in 1995. 541 of the 822 products Pakistan buys for more than $1 million have a supplier selling more than 50% of what Pakistan buys of that product; in 296, more than 75%. In those products, purchases from each one’s dominant supplier add up to 46.2% of what Pakistan buys.

Summary

Largest supplier: China
29%
Concentration (HHI)
1,110
Products with a supplier above 50%
541
Products with a supplier above 75%
296

Concentration index (HHI): 1,110 out of 10,000; equivalent to splitting purchases among 9 suppliers of the same size

Trend

Trend in shares

China went from 7.5% to 29% of what Pakistan buys

Share (%)

  • China 29%
  • United Arab Emirates 9.3%
  • Saudi Arabia 7.3%
  • Qatar 6.3%
  • Indonesia 5.3%

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
YearLargest supplierShare
1995Japan14.9%
1996United States14.9%
1997United States16.5%
1998Malaysia11.4%
1999Japan9.8%
2000China9.3%
2001China10%
2002China12.2%
2003United Arab Emirates9.8%
2004Saudi Arabia9.6%
2005China10%
2006United Arab Emirates10.2%
2007China12.5%
2008Saudi Arabia13%
2009China12.6%
2010China14.2%
2011China15%
2012China16.2%
2013United Arab Emirates16.5%
2014China19.6%
2015China25.6%
2016China28.3%
2017China26.2%
2018China23.7%
2019China24.8%
2020China27.3%
2021China27.2%
2022China23.4%
2023China22.8%
2024China29%

Its suppliers

  1. China$17.6 billion · 29%
  2. United Arab Emirates$5.7 billion · 9.3%
  3. Saudi Arabia$4.4 billion · 7.3%
  4. Qatar$3.8 billion · 6.3%
  5. Indonesia$3.2 billion · 5.3%
  6. Kuwait$2.1 billion · 3.4%
  7. United States$1.5 billion · 2.5%
  8. Singapore$1.3 billion · 2.1%
  9. Japan$1.2 billion · 2%
  10. Oman$1.2 billion · 2%

Some of these goods may have been produced in another country: countries record origin in different ways.

Products with a dominant supplier

Of the 822 products Pakistan buys for more than $1 million in 2024, these are the highest-value ones with a dominant supplier.

ProductSupplierShareSecondValue
Crude petroleumSaudi Arabia56.4%United Arab Emirates · 41.5%$5.7 billion
Natural gas and LPGQatar71.5%Iran · 14%$4.9 billion
Palm oilIndonesia87.4%over 75%Malaysia · 12.5%$2.7 billion
Diodes, transistors and solar cellsChina99.6%over 75%Hong Kong · 0.09%$2.2 billion
Cameras and broadcast equipmentChina88%over 75%Vietnam · 8.2%$2.1 billion
CoalSouth Africa55.4%Tanzania · 15.7%$689 million
Hot-rolled flat steelChina66.1%Japan · 21.9%$652 million
Transformers and power suppliesChina95.2%over 75%Germany · 1%$645 million
TeaKenya87.6%over 75%Rwanda · 5.4%$612 million
WheatRussia67.3%Ukraine · 20.4%$564 million
Synthetic filament yarnChina85.2%over 75%Vietnam · 4%$490 million
Phosphoric acidMorocco97.9%over 75%China · 1.5%$472 million
Rapeseed (canola)Australia90.1%over 75%Romania · 9.8%$412 million
Cyclic hydrocarbonsKuwait50.4%Saudi Arabia · 40.8%$385 million
Coated flat steelChina81.5%over 75%South Korea · 4.3%$367 million
Cotton yarnChina60.8%Uzbekistan · 16.6%$348 million
Synthetic filament fabricChina97.4%over 75%South Korea · 0.53%$327 million
Synthetic dyesChina53.3%South Korea · 20.6%$295 million
Airplanes and helicoptersChina87.1%over 75%Netherlands · 10.4%$288 million
Nuclear reactors and fuelChina100%over 75%—$265 million
Other knitted fabricChina95.3%over 75%Taiwan · 1.6%$222 million
Other plastic articlesChina51.6%Germany · 14.9%$222 million
Hydrocarbon derivativesKuwait96.4%over 75%China · 2.6%$195 million
Nitrogen heterocyclic compoundsChina61.8%India · 24.1%$189 million
Air pumps, compressors and fansChina73%United States · 5.3%$185 million

and 516 more

A product has a dominant supplier when a single country sells more than 50% of what is bought of it; we flag it separately above 75%.

Countries that sell more than 50% of some product; the darker, the higher the value of those products.

Selling: who it relies on

Largest customer: United States
14.9%
Concentration (HHI)
501

Concentration index (HHI): 501 out of 10,000; equivalent to splitting sales among 20 customers of the same size

Trend in shares

The United Arab Emirates went from 0% to 4.8% of what Pakistan sells

Share (%)

  • United States 14.9%
  • China 7.6%
  • Germany 7.2%
  • United Kingdom 6.3%
  • United Arab Emirates 4.8%

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
YearLargest customerShare
1995United States17.5%
1996United States17.3%
1997United States20.2%
1998United States23%
1999United States25.5%
2000United States26%
2001United States25.6%
2002United States27.5%
2003United States22.5%
2004United States21.9%
2005United States23.6%
2006United States21%
2007United States19.2%
2008United States16.5%
2009United States15.3%
2010United States14.5%
2011United States13%
2012United States13.4%
2013United States13.4%
2014United States13.1%
2015United States14.3%
2016United States14.5%
2017United States13.7%
2018United States13.4%
2019United States14.2%
2020United States16.5%
2021United States16.8%
2022United States16.3%
2023United States14%
2024United States14.9%

163 of the 466 products Pakistan sells for more than $1 million have a customer buying more than 50% of what Pakistan sells of that product; in 79, more than 75%. In those products, sales to each one’s dominant customer add up to 10.9% of what Pakistan sells.

ProductCustomerShareSecondValue
Cotton yarnChina64.2%Bangladesh · 10.5%$728 million
Refined copperChina99.2%over 75%United Arab Emirates · 0.75%$625 million
Other made-up textilesUnited States70.8%United Kingdom · 10.1%$367 million
Other oilseedsChina69.4%South Korea · 3.3%$315 million
Mattresses, pillows and quiltsUnited States56.9%United Kingdom · 12.3%$297 million
Cane and beet sugarAfghanistan74.8%Thailand · 7.1%$295 million
Unrefined copperChina100%over 75%—$283 million
Crude petroleumThailand56.8%Brunei · 22%$210 million
Chromium oreChina83%over 75%Japan · 11.7%$136 million
Zinc oreChina99.6%over 75%Indonesia · 0.23%$106 million
Other food preparationsAfghanistan60.7%United Kingdom · 6%$85 million
Furnishing textilesUnited States52.6%Germany · 6.9%$84 million
Copper scrapChina76.4%over 75%Japan · 6.9%$83 million
Blankets and travel rugsUnited States56.8%Canada · 5.2%$76 million
Prepared shellfishChina81.2%over 75%Saudi Arabia · 4.6%$75 million

and 148 more

Concentration compared

The closest countries in the concentration ranking (HHI, highest first).

RankCountryHHI
121Rwanda1,137
122Argentina1,125
123Pakistan1,110
124Samoa1,102
125Zambia1,070
126Maldives1,069

Sources and method

Sources and licenses

Methodology

The data come from CEPII BACI (Etalab 2.0 licence), which reconciles what the exporting and the importing country report, in current USD, FOB. Data up to 2024.

Dependence is the share of a country’s imports (or exports) that each partner accounts for. It does not measure whether a product has a substitute or how much it would cost to change supplier.

The concentration index (HHI) adds up the square of each partner’s share, in percent: it runs from 0 to 10,000. Its equivalent is 10,000 ÷ HHI, the number of partners of the same size that would give that value.

Products are HS4 headings of the 1992 nomenclature (some combine different goods), with a floor of $1 million per product and country.

The EU is the 27 current members in every year; the United Kingdom is outside the EU throughout the series.

Re-exports: countries that act as redistribution hubs carry their notice and the figures are not corrected.