KARACHI:
Pakistani freelancers have earned over $950 million in foreign exchange in the first 10 months of the current fiscal year, despite multiple local and global challenges.
During the period from July 2025 to April 2026, Pakistani freelancers outperformed freelancers from India, China, UAE and several other countries.
According to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), export earnings generated from self-employment in the computer and information services sector reached $959 million between July and April, compared to $642 million during the same period of the previous fiscal year.
This reflects an annual increase of 49%, or $317 million.
CEO of Pakistan Freelancers Association Dr Imran Batada said that the increase in freelancers’ income has been made possible due to the growing participation of Pakistani freelancers on various freelancing platforms including Upwork, Fiverr and social media platforms.
Dr Batada said awareness about self-employment has increased significantly in Pakistan over the past few years, enabling a large number of people to acquire skills through online learning, private institutions, government training programs and initiatives launched by various NGOs.
Dr. Imran Batada is a five-time recipient of the Global CIO Award and has trained over 25,000 freelancers. “The self-employed community in Pakistan numbers nearly three million people. The government, banking sector and other stakeholders should work together to increase this number in an organized manner,” he said.
