British Pound to Pakistani Rupee
GBP to PKR interbank reference rate, last month
GBP to PKR conversion table
PKR to GBP conversion table
About the British Pound in Pakistan
Britain has the oldest large Pakistani diaspora, and sterling arrives mostly as remittances from long-settled families rather than as short-term worker earnings — which makes the flow steadier through the year than the Gulf currencies.
Sterling floats freely, so GBP/PKR moves on two independent things at once: what the rupee is doing, and what the pound is doing against the dollar. A rate that moved overnight without the dollar rate moving is usually a sterling story, not a rupee one.
Before you exchange GBP
Scottish and Northern Irish banknotes are legal tender in the UK but are frequently refused or discounted by Pakistani counters, which handle far fewer of them. Bank of England notes exchange more cleanly.
Buy rate, sell rate and the spread
What one British Pound has cost, since 1947
| Year | PKR per GBP | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| 1947 | 13.34 | Sterling before the 1949 devaluation, when the rupee was still pegged to it. |
| 1972 | 27.50 | Sterling floated in 1972; Pakistan devalued the rupee the same year. |
| 1982 | 22.49 | Pakistan left the dollar peg for a managed float. |
| 2000 | 78.89 | The float was widened after the 1998 sanctions and the rupee settled near fifty. |
| 2008 | 146.34 | The pound peaked above two dollars in 2007, then fell through the financial crisis. |
| 2019 | 198.40 | The rupee moved to a market-determined rate under the IMF programme. |
| 2023 | 380.68 | The rupee reached its weakest level against the dollar so far, in September. |
| Today | 368.20 | Open market buying rate, published . |
Where to exchange GBP
- Best currency exchanges in Karachi 236 branches buying and selling GBP
- Best currency exchanges in Lahore 208 branches buying and selling GBP
- Best currency exchanges in Islamabad 97 branches buying and selling GBP
- Best currency exchanges in Rawalpindi 69 branches buying and selling GBP
- Best currency exchanges in Sialkot 52 branches buying and selling GBP
- Best currency exchanges in Faisalabad 51 branches buying and selling GBP
- Best currency exchanges in Peshawar 39 branches buying and selling GBP
- Best currency exchanges in Gujranwala 35 branches buying and selling GBP
Common questions
What is the GBP to PKR rate today?
One British Pound costs 372.80 Pakistani rupees to buy on the open market, and selling one gets you 368.20 rupees. This is the national open market rate, maintained by our editorial team and updated through the day — an individual counter may quote either side of it.
Why is the GBP rate at the counter different from the interbank rate?
The interbank rate is a wholesale price for trades between banks in size. A counter has to cover the cost of holding physical notes, the risk that the rate moves while it holds them, and its own margin. That gap is normal; what varies is how wide it is, which is why comparing branches is worth doing.
Is the British Pound value going down?
We do not have enough recorded open market readings for GBP yet to answer that honestly. The chart above shows what has been recorded so far, and it fills as the board is updated. A rising figure means the rupee is weakening against the British Pound, not the other way round.
What is the highest GBP to PKR rate ever?
We have no recorded series for GBP yet, so we cannot quote a high from our own data, and we will not repeat one we have not measured. For context, in 2023 — the rupee's weakest year so far — one British Pound cost roughly 381 rupees.
Which rate do I get when I sell GBP?
The buying rate — 368.20 rupees per British Pound today. It is called the buying rate because it is the rate the exchange company buys at; you are the one selling. The other figure, 372.80, is what you would pay to buy GBP from them.
Why is the selling rate higher than the buying rate?
Because the gap between them is what the exchange earns. A counter holds physical notes, carries the risk that the rate moves while it holds them, and pays for staff, security and the cash itself — the spread covers that. Today's gap on GBP is 4.60 rupees per unit, which is 1.23% of the selling rate. A wide spread costs you twice if you buy and then sell back, so it is worth comparing.
Do £100 notes get a better rate than small notes?
For dollars, yes — the 100-dollar note usually fetches a better rate than small notes. For the British Pound, denominations are generally quoted at the same rate, so a counter should not pay you less for smaller notes. Condition still matters: torn, marked or heavily creased notes are discounted or refused in any currency.
How much GBP can I buy in a day?
Up to about 3,770 GBP a day for travel, and up to about 7,539 GBP a day if you are depositing it into a foreign currency account. Those are the State Bank's limits for cash at an exchange company, written in dollars (5,000 and 10,000 USD) and converted here at today's board rate, so the figures move with the rate. Your original CNIC is required, biometric verification applies from 500 dollars upwards, and a travel purchase needs a passport, the visa where applicable and a confirmed ticket, with supporting documents from 1,000 dollars upwards.
Is the bank rate better than the open market rate?
It depends on the currency, and it is worth checking both. Today GBP sells on the open market above the interbank reference by 0.62%. As a rule the dollar trades on the open market above interbank, because cash dollars are in demand; most other currencies trade close to, or a little below, their own interbank rate. A bank will also apply its own margin and may not hold the currency in cash at all, which is why travellers usually end up at an exchange company.
Where can I exchange GBP in Pakistan?
At any exchange company licensed by the State Bank of Pakistan. We list 129 cities with verified branches, and every company shown is checked against the SBP register before it appears.
Do I need documents to buy GBP?
Yes. Your original CNIC, NICOP or POC is always required, and biometric verification applies to Pakistani nationals from USD 500 upwards. A travel purchase also needs a passport, the visa where applicable, and a confirmed ticket, with supporting documents required from USD 1,000 upwards.