Pakistan: Charges for the use of intellectual property, payments (BoP, current US$)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, Pakistan's charges for the use of intellectual property, payments (BoP, current US$) fell 29.7% on 2024 (from US$293 million to US$206 million).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +21.2% and a typical year strayed about 53.5% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.0 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 181.7% in 2024 and the biggest yearly fall was 58.6% in 2022. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2016 to 2025 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 1% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2025, Pakistan had the 67th highest value of the 117 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Pakistan in the 2025 ranking

• Nigeria — 64th of 117: US$252.84 million
• Algeria — 65th of 117: US$246.95 million
• Azerbaijan — 66th of 117: US$237.35 million
• North Macedonia — 68th of 117: US$170.16 million
• Uzbekistan — 69th of 117: US$159.44 million
• Honduras — 70th of 117: US$151.54 million

What this measures

Charges for the use of proprietary rights (such as patents, trademarks, copyrights, industrial processes and designs including trade secrets, franchises), and charges for licenses to reproduce or distribute (or both) intellectual property embodied in produced originals or prototypes (such as copyrights on books and manuscripts, computer software, cinematographic works, and sound recordings) and related rights (such as for live performances and television, cable, or satellite broadcast). This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.

All 33 values

Charges for the use of intellectual property, payments (BoP, current US$) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — US$6.11 million (2020)
• Algeria — US$246.95 million (2025)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — US$318.6 million (2025)
• Iraq — US$8.6 million (2025)
• Israel — US$3.67 billion (2025)
• Jordan — US$32.68 million (2024)
• Lebanon — US$10.81 million (2023)
• Malta — US$1.1 billion (2024)
• Morocco

More economic policy & debt data for Pakistan

• Total reserves, including gold (current US$) — US$26.46 billion (2025)
• Total reserves, excluding gold (current US$) — US$17.36 billion (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (current US$) — US$37.97 billion (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (current LCU) — 10.61 trillion (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) — US$38.17 billion (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (constant LCU) — 3.96 trillion (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (% of GDP) — 9.32% (2025)
• Households and NPISHs final consumption expenditure (current US$) — US$340.59 billion (2025)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Pakistan's charges for the use of intellectual property, payments (BoP, current US$)?

US$206 million in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1993?

It is up 3,251% from US$6.15 million in 1993 (11.6% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$293 million in 2024 and the lowest US$6.15 million in 1993.

How does Pakistan rank?

67th highest of 117 economies with data for 2025.

Is the latest change in charges for the use of intellectual property, payments (BoP, current US$) unusual for Pakistan?

In 2025, Pakistan's charges for the use of intellectual property, payments (BoP, current US$) fell 29.7% on 2024 (from US$293 million to US$206 million). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +21.2% and a typical year strayed about 53.5% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.0 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator BM.GSR.ROYL.CD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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