A report by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific has predicted that Pakistan’s GDP will grow by only 4.2% in 2019. This figure is considerably lower than the predicted GDP growth for some of Pakistan’s regional neighbors, such as Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and the Maldives. A major factor contributing to Pakistan’s limited GDP growth is the country’s difficulty in balancing its large account deficits. This difficulty has been amplified by precarious currency fluctuations and has led Pakistan to seek help from foreign donors. A multitude of factors including trade tensions, currency depreciation, and negative impacts to agricultural production due to unfavorable weather may further contribute to Pakistan’s economic woes in 2019.
