Pakistan's petroleum import bill increased during the first eleven months of fiscal year 2025-26 as a sharp rise in crude oil imports outweighed a substantial decline in liquefied natural gas (LNG) purchases, highlighting changing patterns in the country's energy imports. According to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), imports of the overall petroleum group reached US$14.953 billion during July-May FY2025-26, compared with US$14.632 billion during the corresponding period of the previous fiscal year, representing an increase of 2.23 percent.

The rise was largely driven by higher crude oil imports. Purchases of petroleum crude increased 27.29 percent to US$6.341 billion, up from US$4.981 billion recorded during the same period last year. Imports of refined petroleum products also moved higher. According to the PBS, petroleum product imports increased 2.86 percent, rising from US$5.456 billion to US$5.612 billion during the first eleven months of the fiscal year.

Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) imports remained broadly unchanged, edging up 0.10 percent to US$983.698 million, compared with US$982.753 million in the corresponding period of FY2024-25. In contrast, LNG imports recorded the sharpest decline within the petroleum group. Import expenditure fell 37.21 percent to US$2.016 billion from US$3.211 billion during the same period of the previous fiscal year.

Imports of other petroleum group products also declined, falling 19.19 percent to US$0.282 million, compared with US$0.349 million a year earlier. The latest monthly figures also showed an increase in petroleum imports. On a year-on-year basis, the petroleum group's import bill rose 7.84 percent to US$1.436 billion in May 2026, compared with US$1.332 billion in May 2025.

The PBS data indicate that while Pakistan's overall petroleum import expenditure increased only modestly during the first eleven months of FY2025-26, the composition of energy imports shifted significantly, with higher crude oil purchases compensating for a substantial reduction in LNG imports.