Pakistani freelancers earned $197 million in export revenue in September 2026, setting a record for the highest monthly foreign exchange earnings in the country’s history, according to government data.

Freelancers’ earnings increased 49 percent year-on-year and 11 percent month-on-month, making September the highest-earning month on record for the country’s freelance sector.

During the first quarter of fiscal year 2026-27, from July to September, Pakistani freelancers generated $550 million in export earnings, marking a 46 percent increase compared with the corresponding period of the previous fiscal year.

Freelancers earned $1.76 billion in foreign exchange during the full fiscal year 2025-26, according to government data.

Adviser to the Finance Minister Khurram Schehzad also shared the figures in a post on social media platform X, highlighting the record earnings generated by freelancers in September.

He said that Pakistan’s growing freelance economy was turning the country’s young digital talent into export revenue, generating foreign exchange without adding debt, creating high-value employment opportunities and strengthening the country’s integration with global markets.

The record earnings came as Pakistan’s broader information technology (IT) exports also increased during September.

IT exports reached $435 million during the month, registering an 18 percent increase compared with September 2025 and a 10 percent rise from August 2026. This marked the second-highest monthly IT export figure on record.

Schehzad stated that September’s IT exports were $2 million below the all-time monthly high of $437 million recorded in December 2025.

Pakistan’s cumulative IT exports reached $1.25 billion during the first quarter of FY27, covering July to September.

Schehzad attributed the growth in IT exports to targeted incentives introduced in the federal budget for FY27, particularly those aimed at exporters and the IT sector, alongside the expansion of Pakistan’s digital economy.

Separately, Pakistan’s goods exports exceeded $3 billion in September 2026, reaching their highest monthly level in 20 months, according to Schehzad.