Pakistan's Prime Minister Sharif: Pakistan Can Become the World's Sixth-Largest Economy Earlier Than 2050
Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told the Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum 2026 in Islamabad on November 13 that Pakistan can become the world's sixth-largest economy earlier than 2050. He cited a long-term Goldman Sachs assessment from 2022, which projected that Pakistan would rank sixth in the world by 2075, behind China, India, the United States, Indonesia and Nigeria, measured in real U.S. dollars. 'I would like to make a small amendment here,' Sharif said. 'Instead of 2075, it will be earlier than 2050.'
Sharif tied the path to minerals. He said Pakistan holds copper, gold and other mineral wealth, and that the government is promoting foreign investment, modern exploration and local value-added processing, pointing in particular to the Reko Diq copper-gold project in Balochistan moving toward operation. Chief of Defence Forces and Army Chief Asim Munir told the same forum that Pakistan aims to become a competitive destination for long-term mineral investment.
The International Monetary Fund estimates Pakistan's nominal GDP in 2026 at about 450 billion dollars, around 42nd in the world, leaving a wide gap to the sixth-place target. Sharif acknowledged that continuous hard work would be required, saying the journey of development must continue despite economic difficulties.
(Source: Associated Press of Pakistan)
Source: Associated Press of Pakistan
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：巴基斯坦首都伊斯兰堡的费萨尔清真寺资料图，本次矿业投资论坛在伊斯兰堡举行。照片：Ahmad Haq 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: File photo of Faisal Mosque in Islamabad, Pakistan, where the minerals investment forum was held. Photo by Ahmad Haq, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
