Afghan transit trade grows 13% in August despite smuggling curbs

ISLAMABAD (Rizwan Abbasi): Despite Pakistan’s stringent measures to curb smuggling, Afghan transit trade continues to grow.

According to official and trade sources, Afghan transit trade recorded a 13% increase on an annual basis in August 2025.

According to the data, on a monthly basis, the overall Afghan transit trade increased by 8% in August 2025, while Afghan exports via Pakistan saw a significant increase of 118%.

Overall, Afghan transit trade increased by 9% during July and August 2025.

In the first two months of the current fiscal year (July and August), the volume of Afghan transit trade stood at $209 million, compared to $191 million in the same period last year.

The volume of Afghan transit trade in August 2025 was recorded at $108.6 million, which is higher than $104 million in July 2025 and $94.5 million in August 2024.

According to sources, a major decline was recorded in Afghan transit trade during the last two fiscal years.

In the fiscal year 2022-23, the volume of Afghan transit trade was $7.1 billion, which decreased to $2.89 billion in the fiscal year 2023-24. Similarly, in the fiscal year 2024-25, it further decreased to $1.3 billion.

According to the data, Afghan transit trade recorded a decline of $4.21 billion in the fiscal year 2023-24 and $1.86 billion in the fiscal year 2024-25.

Sources say that Afghanistan’s transit trade imports via Pakistan have declined by $6.7 billion in the last two years. Government sources say that Pakistan has taken concrete steps to stop smuggling under the guise of transit trade.

The gradual increase in the volume of Afghan transit trade in recent months indicates that regional trade is moving towards a new trend.