Pakistan Imports Over 157,000 Used Vehicles from Abroad, Exports Only 248 in Five Years

Islamabad: Amid rising car prices in the local market and the availability of better options abroad at lower costs, Pakistan has imported over 157,960 used vehicles from various countries between 2020 and 2025, while only 248 vehicles were exported during the same period.
According to documents submitted by the Ministry of Finance in the Senate Secretariat, Japan remains the dominant source of vehicle imports, accounting for 155,288 units—more than 98% of all used cars brought into the country.
Here is the year-wise breakdown of vehicle imports:
2020: 19,392 vehicles
2021: 36,373 vehicles
2022: 20,173 vehicles
2023: 19,523 vehicles
2024: 38,472 vehicles
First half of 2025: 24,020 vehicles
Apart from Japan, vehicles were also imported from other countries during this period:
Jamaica: 1,085
United Kingdom: 865
Germany: 257
Jordan: 173
USA: 79
China: 65
Australia: 48
UAE and Thailand: 8 each
Italy: 6
France: 3
Mexico and seven other countries: 1 each
In contrast, Pakistan has just started exporting locally manufactured vehicles to international markets. From 2021 to 2025, a total of 248 vehicles were exported:
2021: 20
2022: 19
2023: 47
2024: 70
2025: 92
The majority of exports were sent to:
Japan: 151
Solomon Islands: 26
Kenya: 20
Thailand: 15
Bangladesh: 6
Other countries received a few units each.
The figures highlight a stark imbalance in Pakistan’s automotive trade, heavily reliant on imports with limited global reach for its locally assembled vehicles.