Pakistan army’s Business Empire Surpasses Private Sector, Fauji Foundation Leads with $5.9 Billionโฃ Valuation:โฃ Report
Islamabad, September 1, 2025 – A โnew report reveals the Pakistan military has become โthe nation’s largest business conglomerate, eclipsing civilian-run enterprises while theโ country facesโฃ economic hardship. The Wealth Perception Index 2025, released by the Economic Policy and Business Advancement Think Tank (EPBD), identifies theโฃ faujiโ Foundation – a military-run โentity – as Pakistan’s moast valuable business group, currently assessed at $5.9 billion.
the report details a meaningful โmilitaryโค footprint in the Pakistani economy, estimating it’s total business holdings at “tens of billions of dollarsโ annually.” this comes as Pakistanโ grapples with persistent poverty and relies on International Monetary Fund (IMF) loans.
According to the EPBD index, nine other companies with ties to the โคmilitary are each valued at over $1 billion.These entities, including the Fauji Foundation, Army Welfareโ Trust, andโฃ Defense Housing Authority (DHA), operate across a diverse range of sectors – banking, agriculture, manufacturing, real estate, education, and retail – benefiting from taxโ exemptions, preferential โaccess to land, โขand protections from standard โฃmarket competition.
“As of 2025, โขforeign estimates place the military’s business footprint at tens โคof billions of โdollars annually, a staggeringโค sum for a country grapplingโ with persistent poverty and โeconomic crisis,” the report stated.
The growing economic โขpower of theโ military coincides with worsening economic conditions for ordinary โPakistanis. The Observer reports Pakistan’s per capita โincome remainsโค stagnant at $6,950, lagging โbehind regional neighbors. The World โBank’s 2025 data indicates 44.7% of the populationโ lives below a poverty line of $4.20 per day, with 16.5% – approximately 39.8 โmillion people – experiencing extreme poverty,โ earning less thanโ $3 daily, a significant increase from 4.9% previously.
While the army expands its commercial interests – including continued investment โฃin military hardware like โคtanks and fighter jets – unemployment rises and incomes shrink for many citizens. The Fauji Foundation’s $5.9 billion valuation is comparable to some mid-sized Indian corporations like Apollo Hospitals or JSW Energy, though substantially smaller than industry giants such as HDFC Bank ($145 billion) or the โฃTata Groupโ ($436โ billion).
