Nordic × PakistanNordic Bridge Pakistan

Section 03

Market Intelligence

Country-by-country guides covering import trends, growth sectors, consumer insights, regulations, sustainability standards and logistics.

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Sweden

Capital Stockholm · Population 10.6M

GDP

$605B

2024 · World Bank

Total PK goods trade

$342.4M

2024 · UN Comtrade

Data — Pakistan · Sweden goods trade, calendar year 2024

Last updated: August 2026

Pakistan goods exports to Sweden$175.9M
Pakistan goods imports from Sweden$166.5M
Total Pakistan–Sweden bilateral goods tradeDerived$342.4M

Merchandise trade only; services excluded. Reporter is Sweden, partner Pakistan, HS commodity code TOTAL. Imports valued CIF, exports FOB.

Source: UN Comtrade · 2024 ↗

Analysis — import trends

  • Apparel and home textiles (denim, bed linen, towels) are the largest Pakistani export categories.
  • Rising imports of certified organic cotton, basmati rice, mango pulp, and Himalayan salt.
  • Growing demand for surgical and dental instruments from Sialkot.
  • Pakistan benefits from GSP+ duty-free access on ~66% of EU tariff lines.

Analysis — growth sectors

  • Sustainable fashion & circular textiles
  • Plant-based food and organic groceries
  • Industrial subcontracting (precision machined parts)
  • IT services & SaaS — Karachi/Lahore dev shops servicing Swedish startups

Analysis — buyer & consumer landscape

  • Brand trust is built through transparent supply chains, not advertising.

Regulatory requirements

  • EU REACH for chemicals, EU CBAM phasing in for steel/aluminium/fertilizer.
  • Strict child-labor and forced-labor due diligence under EU CSDDD.
  • Textiles: OEKO-TEX, GOTS expected by major retailers.

Sustainability standards

  • BSCI, amfori, Sedex social audits required by H&M, IKEA, Lindex.
  • Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) baseline for cotton.
  • Higg Index FEM/FSLM increasingly mandatory.

Logistics overview

  • Karachi → Gothenburg (Maersk, MSC, Hapag) — 24-28 days transit.
  • Direct air cargo via Istanbul (Turkish Cargo) or Doha (Qatar).
  • Bonded warehousing options in Helsingborg & Stockholm.

Principal Pakistani export categories to Sweden

ApparelHome textilesRiceLeather goodsSurgical instruments

Sources

Sources & methodology

Trade figures on this page come from UN Comtrade annual merchandise-trade data for calendar year 2024, with the Nordic country as reporter and Pakistan as partner, on a single consistent methodology. GDP is World Bank nominal GDP (current US$) for 2024. Sections labelled Analysis are Nordic Bridge Pakistan's interpretation of market conditions for exporters and are not statistical measurements. Regulatory and standards references point to the responsible authority or scheme owner. Claims that could not be tied to an authoritative source have been removed pending verification.

Last updated: August 2026