Pakistan has important strategic endowments and development potential. The country is located at the crossroads of South Asia, Central Asia, China and the Middle East and is thus at the fulcrum of a regional market with a vast population, large and diverse resources, and untapped potential for trade.

Pakistan’s economic expansion for financial year (FY) 2015, which ended on 30 June 2015, was led by services as growth in manufacturing slowed. Industrial growth was hobbled by a slowdown in large-scale manufacturing to 3.3% owing to continued power shortages and weaker external demand. 

Pakistan is one of the poorest and least developed countries in Asia. Pakistan has a growing semi-industrialized economy that relies on manufacturing, agriculture and remittances. Although since 2005 the GDP has been growing an average 5 percent a year, it is not enough to keep up with fast population growth.

Manufacturing sector comprises of two sub-sectors viz. Large Scale Manufacturing and Small Scale Manufacturing. Large Scale manufacturing covers the establishments registered under factories Act 1934 or qualifying for registration (having 10 or more employees) including Repair and Service Industries. Small Scale manufacturing covers all such manufacturing establishments not covered in Large Scale manufacturing.

This brief overview explains, in very general terms, the procedure and requirements for registration of a company in Pakistan. These brief notes are for general guidance only and should not be taken as a substitute for thorough and professional legal advice.

This page summarizes Doing Business 2016 data for Pakistan. The first section presents the Ease of Doing Business rank (out of 189 economies) and the distance to frontier (DTF)** measure, overall and by topic. The second section summarizes the key indicators for each topic benchmarked against regional averages.

Business Entities in Pakistan

Company registration  remains the most favoured form of business organisation in Pakistan. Incorporation of a company  helps boost business for medium as well as large-scale business enterprises.

The Corporate Tax Rate in Pakistan stands at 33 percent. Corporate Tax Rate in Pakistan averaged 34.72 percent from 1997 until 2015, reaching an all time high of 43 percent in 2000 and a record low of 30 percent in 1998. Corporate Tax Rate in Pakistan is reported by the Federal Board of Revenue, Government of Pakistan.

Pakistan Tax Profile from KPMG (PDF)

The Personal Income Tax Rate in Pakistan stands at 20 percent. Personal Income Tax Rate in Pakistan averaged 21.11 percent from 2006 until 2014, reaching an all time high of 30 percent in 2006 and a record low of 20 percent in 2007.

Taxation according to a person’s ability to pay is universally accepted principle, and income is considered a satisfactory though not a sufficient index of such ability to pay. Income Tax is, therefore, generally recognized as a highly equitable form of taxation.

In Pakistan, the sales tax rate is a tax charged to consumers based on the purchase price of certain goods and services.

Sales Tax was a provincial subject at the time of partition. It was being administered in the provinces of Punjab & Sindh as provincial levy. Sales tax was declared a federal subject in 1948 through the enactment of General Sales Tax Act, 1948 and in 1952, this levy was transferred permanently to the Central Government.

A valid passport and business visa are required for travel to Pakistan.

Visa Application Forms and Instructions

Learn4good provides general information on study, travel, work visa and business visa requirements and the addresses of embassies worldwide. You should contact your local embassy or consulate for the most up-to-date information or visa forms.

The Ministry of Interior is responsible for granting/extending visas in the following categories of foreigners (other than Indian nationals whose cases are dealt by the IP&N Wing of the Ministry of Interior

Road transport is the backbone of Pakistan’s transport system. The 9,574 km long National Highway and Motorway network – which is 3.65 percent of the total road network – carries 80 percent of Pakistan’s total traffic. 

Pakistan is home to more than 180 million people. They are involved in different segments of the economy, whether it is the primary sector producing crops and livestock produce for the people or in manufacturing and tertiary sectors, everyone is busy doing one thing or another.

The telecommunication sector in Pakistan has seen a period of rapid growth, modernisation and change during the last decade. The market is rapidly expanding with continued development in infrastructure and new technologies such as wireless telephony and telecom including broadband internet and 3G and 4G technologies.

Established under the West Pakistan Employees Social Security Ordinance 1965. (renamed as Provincial Employees Social Security ordinance in 1970) operational since March 1, 1967

There are two social assistance programs: one provides benefits to needy Pakistani Muslim citizens, the other to needy Pakistani citizens.

Labour Laws in Pakistan, check the Labour Law for Pakistan.

Here you may find information about employment and labour law in Pakistan. Our dedicated team of professional lawyers best assists their clients as to employment and labour law in Pakistan.

Welcome to our guide to Pakistan. This is useful for anyone researching Pakistani culture, customs, manners, etiquette, values and wanting to understand the people better. You may be going to Pakistan on business, for a visit or even hosting Pakistani colleagues or clients in your own country

Cost of living in Pakistan

The standard of living in Pakistan differentiates and varies between different classes of society. Pakistan is a largely developing country and according to the Human Development Index, is ranked 125th out of 170 countries, near the lower end of “medium human development

Pakistan has three seasons: winter (November to March) is warm and cooled by sea breezes on the coast; summer (April to July) has extreme temperatures and the monsoon season (July to September) has the highest rainfall on the hills. Karachi has little rain. 

The climate of Pakistan is generally characterized by hot summers and cool or cold winters. Also Pakistan has wide variations between extremes of temperature at given locations. There is little rainfall. 

In Pakistan, the education system adopted from colonial authorities has been described as one of the most underdeveloped in the world. Barely 60% of children complete grades 1 to 5 at primary school, despite three years of play group, nursery and kindergarten pre-school to prepare them.

It is mandated in the Constitution of Pakistan to provide free and compulsory education to all children between the ages of 5-16 years and enhance adult literacy.

Pakistan is continually growing in economic power and is ranked 27th in the world in purchasing power, according to Economy Watch.com. Countries such as China and the United States often form business deals with professionals in Pakistan, so international professionals should be aware of the etiquette that should be observed in the country to maintain a positive reputation.

 Latest travel advice for Pakistan including safety and security, entry requirements, travel warnings and health.

Pakistan has the world’s sixth largest population, placing it higher than Russia, and lower than Brazil. Because of Pakistan’s high growth rate, it is expected to surpass Brazil in population in the year 2020. 

Holidays in Pakistan for 2016

Office holidays in Pakistan

Pakistan demographic profile

It is a matter of privilege for me to present the second strategic trade policy framework (STPF) for next three-year period, 2012-15. Present democratic government took the initiative to launch a three year strategic trade policy framework in 2009 instead of annual trade policies to address the concerns of our business community as well as our trading partners on frequent policy shifts – termed as S.R.O. culture. This initiative has served the purpose of giving a medium term outlook to our policy regime.

Pakistan’s exports are highly concentrated: currently the majority of exports originate in the textiles and apparels sectors. Early evidence indicates that Pakistan has so far been able to expand exports in the wake of the abolition of OECD countries’ quotas on textiles and apparel in 2005.

Pakistan trade agreements from their government website.

Rent a property from Real Estate Agents in Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad and Gwadar and find Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad and Gwadar rentals in Pakistan

Popular area for the expatriate community is Islamabad and Karachi. The availability of apartments and houses in the country and particularly in these popular areas varies. Most expatriates rent their apartment or house; although some buy their homes.

Official government travel portal