Young Pakistanis are driving a surge in stock market participation, with people aged 18 to 30 accounting for 55 percent of new investor accounts opened at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) in October 2026.
According to data shared by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), this age group opened 14,634 accounts during the month, making young investors the largest contributor to new registrations.
The PSX added 26,843 investor accounts in October, taking its total investor base beyond 683,000. More than 200,000 investors joined the stock market during 2026 alone, while small investors accounted for 77 percent of October’s new registrations, highlighting the growing participation of individual investors.
Small Investors and Women Join Pakistan’s Stock Market
Of the new accounts opened in October, 22,878 belonged to men, representing 85 percent of registrations, while women opened 3,923 accounts, accounting for the remaining 15 percent. Investors aged 31 to 45 opened another 9,290 accounts during the month.
Large investors opened 801 accounts, while 42 corporate accounts were also registered. The figures indicate that growth is coming from both individual participants and larger market players, although smaller investors make up the bulk of new registrations.
Punjab Leads New Stock Market Registrations
Punjab recorded the highest number of new investor accounts at 14,891, followed by Sindh with 7,643 and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with 1,894. Islamabad added 1,419 accounts, while Balochistan and Azad Kashmir recorded 370 and 340, respectively.
Gilgit-Baltistan contributed 150 accounts, while overseas investors opened another 136.
The SECP also reported that the Pakistan Mercantile Exchange added 1,077 accounts in October, taking its total investor base to 61,915. The regulator said opening investment accounts at the PSX had become easier, while 13 public offerings had taken place in Pakistan’s stock market during 2026.
SECP Targets 2.5 Million Stock Market Investors
SECP Chairman Dr. Kabir Sidhu said the regulator was working to make investing easier and safer while protecting investor rights. He also emphasized transparency and effective market supervision as essential to maintaining investor confidence.
The regulator is conducting a nationwide awareness campaign to increase Pakistan’s stock market investor base to 2.5 million. Meanwhile, the KSE-100 Index delivered a 43.5 percent return during fiscal year 2025-26, according to SECP data.
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