Pakistan poised to join BRICS at upcoming summit Diplomatic sources say

Pakistan is expected to secure full membership in BRICS during either the bloc’s 18th or 19th annual summit in 2025 or 2026, diplomatic sources indicated.

According to economic strategist and regional affairs expert Dr. Mehmoodul Hassan Khan, who cited these sources, Islamabad’s accession could take place at the upcoming annual meeting this year or the next, Pakistani media reports.

He stressed that Pakistan’s entry as a full member would unlock significant opportunities, including deeper economic partnerships, higher inflows of foreign direct investment (FDI), greater trade diversification, and advances in industrialisation, digitalisation, and artificial intelligence.

Pakistan formally submitted its application for BRICS membership in 2023, aiming to strengthen its economic relations with the grouping’s member states.

At present, BRICS consists of 10 full members: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, and Indonesia, which officially joined in January 2025. Alongside them, 11 states currently hold observer or partner status — including Vietnam, which became a BRICS partner in June 2025.

This enlarged format, known as the “greater BRICS family” or “BRICS+,” underscores the bloc’s expanding role and influence in its new 10+11 framework.

Although India has previously opposed Pakistan’s entry, growing support from China, Russia, and several other BRICS members has strengthened the likelihood of Islamabad’s admission as a full member.

Today, the BRICS grouping represents more than half of the world’s population, contributes nearly 30% of global GDP, and accounts for 20% of global trade — achievements credited to the bloc’s guiding principles of openness, inclusiveness, and mutually beneficial cooperation.

Data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) shows that BRICS recorded GDP growth of 4% in 2024, outpacing the global average. Collectively, the expanded grouping covers 31% of the world’s landmass, encompasses 46% of the global population, and commands around 20% of world trade. It also accounts for about 40% of global oil reserves and production.

Spanning Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America, BRICS unites diverse civilisations and has increasingly come to symbolise the rise of the “Global South.”

For Pakistan, integration into this framework is expected to generate wide-ranging socio-economic, geopolitical, and geostrategic benefits.

By Tamilla Hasanova