Pakistan’s fiscal deficit has consistently been large and growing, posing significant risks to both fiscal and debt sustainability. In fiscal year 2022 (FY22), the general government deficit reached 7.9% of GDP, matching the level seen in FY19. This deficit is the largest in over 22 years (Figure ES.1).
Over the past decade, the deficit has averaged 6.2% of GDP, with the post-2010 annual average being 50% higher than the pre-2010 period.
Recurrent Fiscal Deficits and Their Impact
Rationalizing Federal Fiscal Expenditures
Non-Budgetary Drivers of Debt
Impact of Federal State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs)
Enhancing Fiscal Revenue Collection
Policy Recommendations and Federal Fiscal Savings
Figure ES.1: Government Budget Balances (Figure ES.1)
Figure ES.2: Public & Publicly Guaranteed Debt (Figure ES.2)
Figure ES.3: Twin Deficits (Figure ES.3)
Figure ES.4: Government Borrowing from Banks (Figure ES.4)
Figure ES.5: Federal government spending by rigidity (Figure ES.5)
Figure ES.6: Distribution of benefits of different subsidies by quintile (Figure ES.6)
Figure ES.7: Key Drivers of Public and Publicly Guaranteed Debt (Figure ES.7)
Figure ES.8: Federal SOEs – Net Profit (Figure ES.8)
Figure ES.9: Direct Fiscal Support to SOEs (Figure ES.9)
Figure ES.10: Total revenue by source and year (Figure ES.10)
Figure ES.11: Cost of tax expenditures by tax (Figure ES.11)
Table ES.1: Key Fiscal Consolidation Measures (Table ES.1)
Table ES.2: PER Policy Recommendations (Table ES.2)
These figures and tables provide detailed insights into the fiscal situation and recommend specific actions to improve Pakistan's financial health.