Country profile · South Asia
Pakistan
Pakistan has 255.2 million people, the fifth most in the world. It has about 170 nuclear warheads. It fought a four-day conflict with India in May 2025. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif heads the government, but the army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, holds much of the power. China supplies most of Pakistan's weapons.
Where Pakistan ranks
All rankings →Who runs Pakistan?
Shehbaz Sharif has been prime minister since March 2024. He is the younger brother of Nawaz Sharif, a three-time prime minister. The Sharif family was sent into exile after the 1999 coup. When Shehbaz Sharif flew home on May 11, 2004, officials put him on a plane back to Saudi Arabia about 100 minutes after he landed. The army chief, Asim Munir, became Pakistan's second field marshal on May 20, 2025. Since December 4, 2025 he has also been Chief of Defence Forces, with lifetime immunity from prosecution. Former prime minister Imran Khan has been in jail since August 2023. Candidates backed by his party won the most seats in the February 2024 election.
- PML-N 123
- Coalition partners 112
- Opposition and vacant 101
Portrait (2025): Press Service of the President of Azerbaijan, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Who are Pakistan's allies and rivals?
India is Pakistan's main rival. After gunmen killed 26 people in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22, 2025, India struck Pakistan on May 7. A ceasefire followed on May 10. India has held the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance since April 2025. On August 31, 2026 an arbitration court ruled that the treaty is fully in force, and India rejected the ruling. Pakistan signed a defense pact with Saudi Arabia in September 2025 and a second one with Saudi Arabia and Turkey on August 7, 2026. In April 2026 Pakistan hosted the first high-level US-Iran talks since 1979. In February 2026 Pakistan's defense minister declared 'open war' on the Taliban government in Afghanistan.
Allies and partners
ChinaSupplied 80% of arms imports, 2021-25
Saudi ArabiaMutual defense pact since September 2025
TurkeyMecca defense pact, August 2026
United StatesTrump hosted the army chief, June 2025
AzerbaijanBacked Pakistan in the May 2025 conflict
BangladeshDirect flights resumed in 2026 after 14 years
Rivals
IndiaFour-day conflict in May 2025
AfghanistanPakistan declared 'open war' in February 2026- Pakistani Taliban (TTP)Ended its ceasefire in November 2022
- Balochistan Liberation ArmyHijacked the Jaffar Express train, March 2025
- Line of Control Divides Kashmir between Pakistan and India. Each claims all of it.
- Chenab River India has held the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance since April 2025. On August 31, 2026 a court ruled the treaty fully in force and limited work on India's Ratle dam here.
- Durand Line No Afghan government has recognized this 2,640 km border. The trade crossings have been closed since October 2025.
- Gwadar Port run by a Chinese state company since 2013. Baloch separatists attacked it in early 2026.
- Pakistan
- Partner
- Rival
Who does Pakistan trade with?
Pakistan exported $30.1 billion of goods in fiscal year 2025-26 (July to June) and imported $69.8 billion, a deficit of $39.6 billion. Textiles and clothing made up 59.5% of exports. Rice exports fell by about a third, partly because sales to Afghanistan collapsed when the border closed in October 2025. Oil and gas were 24.2% of imports. Pakistanis working abroad sent home a record $41.6 billion, most of it from Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The IMF approved a $7 billion lending program in September 2024. The central bank's reserves fell to $2.92 billion in February 2023 and reached $21.40 billion in September 2026. Since July 24, 2026 Pakistani goods have paid a 10% US tariff.
Sells to
Share of Pakistan's exports
- United States19.3%
- China7.4%
United Kingdom6.8%
United Arab Emirates6.3%
Germany5.5%
Buys from
Share of Pakistan's imports
- China31.4%
- United Arab Emirates10.7%
Indonesia6.7%- Saudi Arabia6.4%
Qatar4.9%
Goods trade, 2025. Shares of Pakistan's exports and imports as Pakistan reported them to UN Comtrade.
How strong is Pakistan's military?
The IISS counts 660,000 active troops, the seventh most in the world. SIPRI estimates Pakistan spent $11.9 billion on its military in 2025, 2.9% of GDP. Spending rose 11% in real terms, largely because of new orders for Chinese aircraft and missiles after the May 2025 conflict. India spent 7.7 times as much. Pakistan was the fifth-largest arms importer in 2021-2025. The 2026-27 defense budget is 3.01 trillion rupees, up 17.7%. On May 7, 2025, according to two US officials who spoke to Reuters, a Pakistani J-10 shot down at least two Indian aircraft, at least one of them a Rafale. The Pak Institute for Peace Studies counted 699 militant attacks in 2025, which killed 1,034 people.
Active troops, 2026
Full ranking →- China2,035,000
- India1,500,700
- United States1,340,150
Russia1,264,000- Pakistan660,000
Iran610,000- Afghanistan172,000
IISS, The Military Balance, 2024 to 2026 editions
How many nuclear weapons does Pakistan have?
The Federation of American Scientists estimates that Pakistan has about 170 nuclear warheads. Pakistan first tested a nuclear weapon on May 28, 1998 after India's tests. A.Q. Khan, a scientist in the bomb program, confessed on television in 2004 to selling nuclear technology abroad. Pakistan has not signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty and has not ruled out using nuclear weapons first. Its missiles range from the Nasr, with a range of 60 to 70 km, to the Shaheen-III, 2,750 km. In March 2026 the US intelligence chief said the program could potentially include missiles able to reach the United States. Since July 2026 General Aamer Raza has commanded the nuclear forces as head of the new National Strategic Command.
Nuclear warheads, 2026
Full ranking →- China620
France370- United Kingdom225
- India190
- Pakistan170
Israel90
North Korea60
Federation of American Scientists, Status of World Nuclear Forces, 2026