Islamabad — According to the latest figures presented by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to the National Assembly’s Standing Committee, Pakistani users spent over Rs. 317 billion on various online apps during the fiscal year 2024–25.
These expenditures were made on global tech giants such as Meta (Facebook), Apple, Google, Netflix, AliExpress, and others — reflecting the growing popularity of digital services and the rising trend of online shopping in the country.
New Digital Tax Introduced Under “Digital Presence Proceeds Levy Act, 2025”
In the new fiscal year, the government has introduced a 5% digital tax under the “Digital Presence Proceeds Levy Act, 2025.” This tax will be applied to both local and foreign digital vendors on all goods and services provided online in Pakistan. This law affects not only international platforms like Facebook, Google, Amazon, and Temu, but also local platforms such as Daraz and PakWheels.
Meta and Apple Lead the Spending Race
According to the data:
- Facebook/Meta had the highest total transaction value — over Rs. 12.3 billion — despite having just 1.86 million transactions.
- Apple/iTunes recorded the highest number of transactions — over 5.1 million — with a total value of approximately Rs. 6 billion.
- Google saw 2.3 million transactions, generating Rs. 5.94 billion, surpassing both AliExpress and Netflix in terms of total value.
AliExpress, Netflix, Temu Show Strong Presence
- AliExpress received nearly Rs. 5 billion from 944,000 transactions.
- Netflix saw 3.3 million transactions totaling Rs. 2.79 billion, indicating strong demand for digital entertainment despite rising subscription costs.
- Newcomer Temu generated Rs. 1.82 billion from just 376,000 transactions, showcasing its rapid growth.
“Others” Category Dominates with Rs. 281 Billion in Transactions
Unspecified platforms in the “Others” category have number of transactions more than 286 million and worth Rs 281.4 billion, which is a large part of the total expenditure. Experts believe these represent small vendors, bundled services or under-reported transactions, which constitute a large and growing share of digital payments in the country.
Digital Spending Surging in Pakistan
This report confirms that spending on digital shopping, subscriptions and services is increasing rapidly in Pakistan. For FBR, this is not only an opportunity to increase revenue but a new door of monitoring and regulation of the digital economy is also opening.
