By Qudsia Bano

Pakistan’s textile and apparel exports to the United Kingdom declined to $1.730 billion in FY2025-26 from $1.749 billion a year earlier, with seven of the 10 leading product categories recording lower sales, although cotton bed sheets posted strong growth.

According to the Pakistan Textile Council’s Annual Export Performance Report: Pakistan’s Textile & Apparel Exports FY26, available with Wealth Pakistan, exports to the UK fell by about 1.1% during the year.

The UK remained Pakistan’s third-largest textile and apparel export destination, behind the European Union at $7.103 billion and the United States at $4.853 billion.

The softer overall performance was reflected across many of the leading export categories, as seven of the top 10 products shipped to the UK recorded lower earnings during the year.

Men’s and boys’ cotton ensembles, the largest individual category among Pakistan’s leading textile exports to the UK, declined 6% to $110 million from $117 million.

Cotton mill-made towels fell 6.2% to $99 million from $106 million, while jerseys made from other textile materials declined 13% to $97 million from $112 million.

Mill-made bed covers of other textile materials edged down 0.6% to $79 million from $80 million, while handloom bed sheets made from other textile materials declined 4.5% to $72 million from $75 million.

A sharper decline was recorded in men’s and boys’ shirts made from other textile materials, which fell 22.2% to $67 million from $86 million. Other cotton bed linen dropped 28.9% to $40 million from $56 million, the steepest decline among the top 10 products.

Some categories, however, recorded notable gains.

Exports of cotton mill-made bed sheets increased 31.8% to $64 million from $49 million, making them the fastest-growing product among Pakistan’s 10 leading textile exports to the UK.

Cotton mill-made bed covers rose 9.9% to $71 million from $65 million, while men’s and boys’ trousers made from other textile materials increased 2% to $71 million from $70 million.

The mixed performance shows that while most of Pakistan’s leading textile products to the UK lost ground during the year, selected home-textile and apparel categories continued to expand.

The Pakistan Textile Council identified preference erosion as an important concern for exporters. It said Pakistan’s competitive position in the UK market faces increasing pressure from India’s tariff-free access under the UK-India trade agreement, alongside lower business costs and stronger government support for exporters.

The council stressed that ensuring continuity of Pakistan’s status under the UK’s Developing Countries Trading Scheme and pursuing a free trade agreement with the UK would be critical to preserving and strengthening market access.

The UK forms part of a highly concentrated geographical structure for Pakistan’s textile exports. The EU, the United States and the UK together account for the overwhelming share of the country’s textile and apparel exports, according to the report.

The council said these traditional markets would remain core export destinations, while greater market access in South America, Africa and the Far East should be pursued to diversify Pakistan’s export base and create additional growth opportunities.

The decline in UK exports came despite Pakistan’s overall textile and apparel exports edging up 0.3% to $18 billion in FY2025-26 from $17.95 billion a year earlier, with value-added segments sustaining the sector’s overall performance.

With seven of the top 10 products losing ground, the UK market recorded a softer year overall, while strong growth in cotton bed sheets and gains in selected bed covers and trousers partly offset declines across other leading categories.

Credit: INP-WealthPk