Pakistanis spent a staggering Rs. 317.7 billion on various digital platforms and online applications during the fiscal year 2024–25, according to new data presented by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) at a National Assembly Standing Committee meeting. This figure underscores the growing appetite for online services and digital content across the country, with platforms owned by global tech giants such as Meta, Apple, Google, and others leading the charge.
The FBR’s data highlights that Facebook/Meta recorded the highest monetary value of transactions, receiving over Rs. 12.3 billion through 1.86 million transactions. Apple/iTunes, while leading in the number of transactions with more than 5.1 million, generated nearly Rs. 6 billion in total value. Google also saw significant user engagement with 2.3 million transactions amounting to Rs. 5.94 billion.
In the realm of online shopping, AliExpress recorded 944,466 transactions totaling just under Rs. 5 billion. Netflix, the streaming platform widely used for entertainment, accounted for 3.37 million transactions and received Rs. 2.79 billion in payments, reflecting the sustained demand for digital content. Another e-commerce name, Alibaba.com, saw Rs. 2 billion in transaction value, while emerging platform Temu managed to attract Rs. 1.8 billion in spending across 376,745 transactions despite being relatively new in the local digital economy.
Shopify also appeared among the top vendors with a transactional value of over Rs. 1 billion through around 38,818 purchases. However, the most surprising component of the dataset was the “Others” category, which included 28.6 million transactions and a colossal Rs. 281.4 billion in total value. This indicates a wide ecosystem of smaller, potentially fragmented platforms or vendors that make up a significant portion of the digital economy but are not individually identified in the report.
This surge in online spending aligns with the federal government’s new policy move—the introduction of the “Digital Presence” Proceeds Levy Act, 2025. The new regulation imposes a 5 percent tax on all foreign and local vendors providing digitally delivered goods and services to Pakistani consumers. This includes well-known international platforms such as Amazon, Facebook, Google, and Temu, along with local e-commerce businesses like Daraz and Pak Wheels. The levy applies uniformly across both goods and services, making it a major fiscal reform targeting digital transactions in the country.
The newly enforced digital tax signals the government’s intention to formalize and derive revenue from the fast-expanding digital economy. With consumer behavior shifting decisively toward online platforms for both shopping and entertainment, these developments reflect Pakistan’s ongoing transition into a digitally driven market.
