Pakistani freelancers earned a record $197 million in export receipts in September 2026, the highest monthly amount in the country’s history. The inflow pushed total earnings for the first quarter of fiscal year 2026-27 (July to September) to about $550 million.
September’s earnings were 11 percent higher than August and 49 percent higher than September 2025, according to figures shared by Adviser to the Finance Minister Khurram Schehzad. First-quarter earnings were up 46 percent from the same period last year.
Schehzad said the growing freelance economy was turning the country’s young digital talent into exports and non-debt foreign exchange earnings.
Steady Climb Since July
The record caps a strong start to the fiscal year. Freelancers earned $175.44 million in July and a combined $352 million in July and August, according to State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) data.
In FY2025-26, Pakistani freelancers earned a total of $1.76 billion.
Freelance receipts also make up a significant share of Pakistan’s IT and services exports. IT exports rose to $435 million in September, their second-highest monthly level on record.
Why More Pakistanis Are Turning to Freelancing
Pakistan Freelancers Association (PAFLA) Chairman Ibrahim Amin said the steady growth showed that more Pakistani digital workers were taking part in the global freelancing market.
He said many IT graduates and professionals were turning to freelancing because job openings in the domestic market were limited. This lets them earn foreign exchange while contributing to the national economy.
Income from international clients is helping freelancers support themselves and their families. It is also creating alternative employment for the country’s growing workforce.
PAFLA Chairman added that more investment in training, skills development, and support for freelancers could strengthen Pakistan’s position in the global digital economy and further raise foreign exchange earnings in the coming years.
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