Pakistan: Foreign firms invest $23 billion over last decade

Foreign companies represented by the Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OICCI) invested more than $23 billion in Pakistan over the last decade. This figure exceeds the country’s cumulative net foreign direct investment (FDI) of approximately $21 billion during the same period.

According to the OICCI ‘Members’ Contribution to the Economy 2025’ report, member companies generated Rs13.1 trillion ($47.2 billion) in gross revenue in fiscal 2025 and held Rs42 trillion ($151.2 billion) in assets. The group also contributed Rs3.2 trillion ($11.5 billion) in taxes and government levies.

Sectoral contributions varied, with the oil, gas, and energy sector accounting for 36% of total government levies paid by members. The banking, insurance, finance, and leasing sector represented 75.6% of total assets, while the telecommunications sector contributed 33% of total capital expenditure.

Despite recent economic challenges and a balance-of-payments crisis in 2022-23, OICCI Secretary General M. Abdul Aleem stated that the reinvestment levels serve as a “strong vote of confidence in Pakistan’s future.” While the country has stabilized under a $7 billion IMF program, the IMF continues to project FDI at approximately 0.5 percent of gross domestic product.