weighted score 5.9 · nine dimensions
Country Risk Profile
Pakistan
Sourcing risk, regulatory exposure and audit intelligence for Pakistan-origin supply chains.
Forced & child labour
7
TVPRA 2024 lists 8 Pakistani products including cotton, bricks, carpet, and textiles with forced and child labour. Systemic bonded labour in brick kilns documented.
Worker rights & FOA
6
ITUC Global Rights Index rating 5 — no guarantee of rights. Freedom of association restricted in practice. Improving under EU GSP+ monitoring conditions.
OHS & audit transparency
6
Weak OHS enforcement. Ali Enterprises factory fire (2012, 289 deaths) exposed systemic garment sector failures. Improving under GSP+ conditions but enforcement gaps remain.
Food & product safety
6
Moderate RASFF alert rate for rice, spices, and sesame seeds. Limited DG SANTE audit missions. Enforcement capacity weak but improving.
Environmental & regulatory
4
Pakistan does not export major EUDR commodities at scale. Main exports are textiles — not covered by EUDR. No active EU IUU card.
Governance & anti-corruption
8
TI CPI 2024: Pakistan scores 27/100 — well below the 40 threshold. Severe corruption exposure affecting customs, certifications, and regulatory enforcement.
Tariff & preferential access
3
EU GSP+ in force — zero duty on ~66% of tariff lines. Very favourable preferential access, conditional on 27 international conventions.
Non-tariff barriers
6
Some enhanced controls under Regulation 2019/1793 for food products (rice, sesame). Complex documentation requirements.
Supply chain traceability
7
Negligible EcoVadis coverage. Highly fragmented textile and garment supply chains with extensive informal subcontracting. Limited visibility beyond tier-1.
Labour & Social Risk
Labour & Social Risk
- Forced labour
- Bonded labour in brick kilns is systemic — estimated 4.5 million workers in conditions of debt bondage. Cotton harvesting in Sindh and Punjab involves documented child labour. The Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act exists but enforcement is weak.
- TVPRA listings
- US DOL ILAB TVPRA List 2024 includes 8 Pakistani products: bricks (CL+FL), carpet (CL+FL), coal (CL), cotton (CL+FL), glass bangles (CL), leather (CL), surgical instruments (CL), textiles (CL).
- GSP+ conditionality
- Pakistan's EU GSP+ status is conditional on implementing 27 international conventions. The European Commission's latest monitoring report flagged concerns around freedom of expression, death penalty application, and labour rights enforcement.
- Audit landscape
- Social compliance auditing is concentrated among tier-1 exporters to EU and US markets. Sub-tier supply chains — particularly in spinning, dyeing, and raw material sourcing — have minimal audit coverage.
EU Regulatory Exposure
EU Regulatory Exposure
- GSP+ status
- Pakistan benefits from EU GSP+ — zero duty on approximately 66% of EU tariff lines. This is the most favourable preferential access available short of a comprehensive FTA. Renewal is subject to ongoing monitoring.
- EUDR exposure
- Pakistan's primary exports (textiles, garments, leather, surgical instruments) are not covered by the EU Deforestation Regulation. EUDR exposure is minimal compared to agricultural commodity exporters.
- EU Forced Labour Regulation
- Regulation (EU) 2024/3015 applies from December 2027. Given documented forced labour in cotton, brick, and textile supply chains, Pakistani-origin goods in these categories face investigation risk.
- CBAM
- Pakistan's steel and cement exports to the EU are minimal. CBAM exposure is low relative to major industrial exporters.