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Country story

Pakistan

Pakistan has pursued Islamic banking through full-fledged banks, subsidiaries, branches and windows.

The State Bank of Pakistan maintains a Sharīʿah governance framework, advisory committee and dedicated policy function.

Islamic banking assets39.7B2024
Manufacturing value added4.6 % of GDP2024
Median largest disclosed shareholding64.04 % of disclosed equity2024 · median across 15 qualifying banks
How Islamic finance is organised

The State Bank of Pakistan maintains a Sharīʿah governance framework, advisory committee and dedicated policy function.

Why this case matters

The case places an explicit policy programme for Islamic banking beside persistent questions of investment, production and access.

Central tension

Sector growth and regulatory commitment are not the same as evidence of economy-wide productive transformation.

What cannot be inferred

The project cannot attribute national manufacturing outcomes to Islamic banks or observe every financing purpose.

Descriptive comparison

Manufacturing value added

Latest available year: 2024.

3.856.138.410.6812.9520152017202020222024YearManufacturing value added (% of GDP)
Pakistan
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Pakistan Manufacturing value added trajectory in original units. Values for Year and Manufacturing value added (% of GDP) by series.
SeriesYearManufacturing value added (% of GDP)Source note
Pakistan · 20152,01512.06Authorised country-level annual series
Pakistan · 20162,01611.76Authorised country-level annual series
Pakistan · 20172,01711.59Authorised country-level annual series
Pakistan · 20182,01810.99Authorised country-level annual series
Pakistan · 20192,0199.06Authorised country-level annual series
Pakistan · 20202,0209.23Authorised country-level annual series
Pakistan · 20212,0218.71Authorised country-level annual series
Pakistan · 20222,0226.91Authorised country-level annual series
Pakistan · 20232,0235.68Authorised country-level annual series
Pakistan · 20242,0244.6Authorised country-level annual series

What this visual showsA verified country trajectory in the measure’s stated unit.

What it does not establishA causal effect of Islamic finance on the observed outcome.

Descriptive comparison

Financing directed towards FIRE-related activities

Country-year medians by bank type. Each point reports its covered-bank count.

FIRE ordinarily refers to finance, insurance and real estate. Here the measure is broader: it captures bank financing reported for financial institutions, insurance, real estate and consumer-durable activities. It is used as a proxy for firm-level financialisation. The measure does not imply that every underlying financing claim is speculative, harmful or unproductive. It is a sectoral-allocation proxy and a level measure that is sensitive to bank size.

15.2118.6522.0825.5228.9619992005201120172023YearLogged FIRE-related financing volume (natural log) (natural-log units)
ConventionalIslamic
View chart data
Pakistan descriptive medians by bank type, 2000 to 2022 where observations are available. Values for Year and Logged FIRE-related financing volume (natural log) (natural-log units) by series.
SeriesYearLogged FIRE-related financing volume (natural log) (natural-log units)Source note
Conventional · 20002,00024.311 covered bank
Islamic · 20002,00016.421 covered bank
Conventional · 20012,00123.532 covered banks
Islamic · 20012,00116.871 covered bank
Conventional · 20022,00223.094 covered banks
Islamic · 20022,00216.482 covered banks
Conventional · 20032,00323.244 covered banks
Islamic · 20032,00316.421 covered bank
Conventional · 20042,00423.24 covered banks
Islamic · 20042,00416.342 covered banks
Conventional · 20052,00524.044 covered banks
Islamic · 20052,00518.183 covered banks
Conventional · 20062,00624.585 covered banks
Islamic · 20062,00617.34 covered banks
Conventional · 20072,00725.294 covered banks
Islamic · 20072,00716.65 covered banks
Conventional · 20082,00824.697 covered banks
Islamic · 20082,00816.915 covered banks
Conventional · 20092,00924.697 covered banks
Islamic · 20092,00916.895 covered banks
Conventional · 20102,01024.857 covered banks
Islamic · 20102,01018.165 covered banks
Conventional · 20112,01124.777 covered banks
Islamic · 20112,01118.145 covered banks
Conventional · 20122,01227.0814 covered banks
Islamic · 20122,01218.125 covered banks
Conventional · 20132,01327.2614 covered banks
Islamic · 20132,01318.756 covered banks
Conventional · 20142,01427.214 covered banks
Islamic · 20142,01418.926 covered banks
Conventional · 20152,01527.1512 covered banks
Islamic · 20152,01519.326 covered banks
Conventional · 20162,01625.829 covered banks
Islamic · 20162,01619.566 covered banks
Conventional · 20172,01726.614 covered banks
Islamic · 20172,01719.756 covered banks
Conventional · 20182,01826.6814 covered banks
Islamic · 20182,01819.656 covered banks
Conventional · 20192,01926.9515 covered banks
Islamic · 20192,01919.596 covered banks
Conventional · 20202,02027.2215 covered banks
Islamic · 20202,02019.656 covered banks
Conventional · 20212,02127.6114 covered banks
Islamic · 20212,02119.86 covered banks
Conventional · 20222,02227.5914 covered banks
Islamic · 20222,02219.686 covered banks

What this visual showsDescriptive median logged volumes among covered banks.

What it does not establishA bank-size-adjusted or causal difference between bank types.

Institutional sources