Pakistan’s stock-market investor count rose sharply through the first ten months of 2026. The PSX investor base—the number of investor accounts at the Pakistan Stock Exchange—grew from 463,071 at the start of the year to 681,965 by the end of October, a gain of 218,894 accounts, or 47.3 percent.
Official figures shared by the Finance Ministry put the year-on-year rise at 56 percent and describe the October end total as a record. The ministry said the ten-month net addition exceeded the combined growth recorded over the previous four full years. In August, the base had already crossed 600,000 before climbing further to the latest mark.
October’s record monthly addition
In October alone, 26,843 new accounts were opened: 26,801 individual accounts and 42 corporate accounts. The net increase in the investor base that month was 25,747—the highest monthly addition on record, according to the Finance Ministry. One set of official figures also said small investors made up 77 percent of October’s new registrations, with large investors opening 801 accounts alongside the corporate openings.
The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), the market regulator, and the Finance Ministry have both circulated detailed breakdowns of the same October surge. Separately, the Pakistan Mercantile Exchange (PMEX), the country’s commodity futures market, recorded 1,077 new accounts in October, lifting its investor total to 61,915.
Young adults dominate new openings
Young people supplied most of the new individual accounts. Investors aged 18–30 opened 14,634 accounts, or 54.6 percent of the monthly individual total. Those aged 31–45 opened 9,290 accounts, or 34.7 percent. Together, the two groups accounted for 23,924 accounts—89.3 percent of new individual registrations.
The Finance Ministry separately said 85 percent of new investors belonged to Generation Z and millennials, pointing to the same tilt toward younger participants. Men opened 22,878 accounts (85.4 percent of new individual accounts), while women opened 3,923 (14.6 percent).
Where the new accounts came from
Punjab led the provinces with 14,891 new accounts in October, followed by Sindh with 7,643. Those two provinces together made up 83.9 percent of all accounts opened that month. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa recorded 1,894 new accounts, Islamabad 1,419, and Balochistan 370.
The Finance Ministry called the broader rise “a remarkable shift in investor participation, reflecting growing confidence and signalling a deeper transformation of Pakistan’s capital markets.” It also noted that in ten months the exchange had added more net investors than in the previous four full years combined.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- Early 2026: PSX investor base stood at 463,071 at the beginning of the year.
- August 2026: The investor base crossed 600,000.
- January–October 2026: Net addition of 218,894 investors (47.3 percent growth).
- October 2026: 26,843 accounts opened; net rise of 25,747, the highest monthly addition on record; total reaches 681,965, up 56 percent year-on-year.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Pakistan Stock Exchange par invest karne walon ki tadaad 2026 ke pehle 10 mahinnon mein kaafi barh gayi hai—ab lagbhag 682,000 accounts hain. October mein sab se zyada naye accounts khule, aur zyadatar 18 se 45 saal ke logon ne khole. Punjab aur Sindh se sab se zyada log aaye. Yeh is baat ka ishara hai ke zyada aam log share market mein hissa le rahe hain, lekin shareon ki qeemat ghat bhi sakti hai, is liye samajh kar invest karna zaroori hai.
