The number of individuals using the Internet nationwide has increased from 17% to 57%, according to the results of the Household Integrated Economic Survey 2024-25 issued by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) on Thursday.
Unveiling the results at a ceremony in Islamabad, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal declared them a major milestone toward data-driven governance and evidence-based policymaking. He said the survey was part of the Planning Ministry’s systematic clearing of longstanding institutional backlogs with an aim to strengthen its analytical capacity.
According to the minister, the Household Integrated Survey would enable researchers to conduct more meaningful analysis and provide valuable insights to the business community for better decision-making and improved productivity.
Lamenting that Pakistan’s economy suffered its first major shock in 2018, disrupting the growth momentum of previous years, he said the survey backed these views. He regretted that poor planning in 2022 had caused irreparable damage to the economy.
Iqbal noted that following the COVID-19 pandemic, the world entered a global crisis particularly damaging to the middle class, as reflected in findings of the Economic Survey. However, he emphasized that the period of crisis has ended and Pakistan is now firmly moving towards economic recovery.
The minister hoped Pakistan would achieve around 4% GDP growth in the current fiscal year, emphasizing that the government is pursuing a cautious and responsible economic policy, with a clear focus on ensuring sustainable and consistent growth in the coming years. He explained that economic growth must be built on strong fundamentals and capacity development. He said the survey showed several positive economic and social indicators, reflecting gradual improvement, but stressed the country must urgently address its education emergency and raise the participation rate to 90%.
Asserting that addressing the literacy crisis on an emergency basis was essential, he said no country could truly develop without near-universal literacy. Pakistan, he regretted, still had approximately 25 million out-of-school children.
Iqbal said the country could successfully achieve its economic and social development goals by implementing the “5Es Framework” of URAAN Pakistan. He emphasized that political stability and policy continuity are essential for sustained progress.
Referring to national unity, he said the entire nation must contribute to “Marka-e-Taraqqi” (the battle for development) and called for a collective national effort to transform Pakistan into a $1 trillion economy by 2035 through sustained hard work.
Iqbal said the Household Integrated Economic Survey serves as both a call for reflection and a call to action, urging Pakistan to accelerate its development pace to compete globally. He regretted that the country’s national discourse was primarily focused on politics and urged the media to initiate informed debates based on the findings of the survey. He emphasized that government accountability should not revolve around political meetings, but rather on tangible outcomes, such as efforts to reduce stunting, enroll out-of-school children, and improve healthcare services.
“Given the speed at which the world is progressing, Pakistan must rapidly improve its economic and social indicators. There is only one way forward—an economic long march to secure a prosperous future for Pakistan,” he emphasized.
Important findings
- Nationwide literacy has marginally increased from 60% to 63%
- The number of out-of-school children has decreased from 30% to 28%. This reflects improvements in Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa but Punjab has remained stagnant.
- Gender parity at the primary level has increased from 92% to 96% but still lags at higher educational levels.
- Household internet access has increased from 34% to 70%, while the number of individuals availing the internet has increased from 17% to 57%. Similarly, household mobile of smartphone facility has increased to 96%.
- Full immunization coverage has increased from 68% to 73%
- The use of clean fuels such as natural gas, LPG, biogas, solar energy, and electricity for clean heating, lighting, and cooking has increased to 38%.
- While households incomes have increased, so has consumption, with a major part of a household’s budget going to food (37%); housing and fuel (26%); restaurants and hotels (6.63%); clothing and footwear (6.28%); and transport (6.21%).
- The neo-natal mortality rate has decreased from 41 to 35/1,000 live births. At the same time, the infant mortality rate has decreased from 60 to 47/1,000 live births. The total fertility rate has decreased from 3.7 to 3.6 children per woman.
The 2024-25 survey was the first since 2018-19 and aimed to provide detailed data on income and consumption patterns. It also supports tracking progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), covering 31 out of 62 indicators.