Pakistan freelancer export earnings hit an all-time high of $1.76 billion in fiscal year 2025-26, which closed at the end of June, according to the country’s finance adviser. The figure highlights just how quickly Pakistan’s digital services sector has expanded in recent years.
Khurram Schehzad, adviser to the finance minister, said the earnings marked a 78 percent jump compared to the previous year. June alone brought in $164 million from freelance work, a 69 percent increase over the same month a year earlier.
A Push Toward Digital Economic Diversification
The record numbers come as Pakistan has worked to grow its digital economy through better online payment infrastructure, targeted skills training, and incentives aimed at its large base of young, tech-savvy workers. The strategy is part of a broader push to diversify the country’s sources of foreign exchange beyond traditional exports.
Writing on X, Schehzad said the country’s freelance workforce is increasingly becoming a key contributor to foreign exchange inflows, skilled job creation, innovation, and export diversification. He described the results as evidence of Pakistan’s digital talent, entrepreneurial drive, and deepening role in the global digital economy.
Global Ranking Reflects Growing Competitiveness
Pakistan placed 16th out of 193 countries in the 2026 Global Outsourcing Talent Index published by Ataraxis, a ranking based on factors including labor costs, English-language proficiency, talent supply, digital infrastructure, and overall stability.
The country’s freelancer community, estimated at between 2.5 and 3 million workers, has also seen a sharp rise in average earnings. Per capita monthly income for freelancers climbed from roughly $12 in 2021 to close to $53 in 2026, according to Schehzad, a 4.4-fold increase over five years.
With Pakistan freelancer export earnings now setting new records year after year, the sector is positioning itself as one of the country’s more resilient and fast-growing sources of export revenue, one likely to draw continued policy attention as officials look to sustain the momentum.