Human Development in Pakistan: A Downward Slide

Pakistan’s ranking in the Human Development Index further goes down in the 2025 report. It ranks 168th out of 193 countries, reflecting a dire situation in key areas such as health, education, and income. This country is in the “low human development” category. Given this, Pakistan faces major challenges in improving the living conditions of its people.

Pakistan’s position in South Asia in the context of human development is not even reasonable. The country lags behind several neighbouring countries, including India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, in most HDI indicators. 

What Is the Human Development Index (HDI)?

Basically, it is a summary measure that is used to evaluate a country’s overall progress and development, mainly in three important areas: health, education and living standards. Health is measured by life expectancy, education is measured by years of schooling and standard of living is measured by Gross National Income (GNI) per person.

Pakistan is facing acute challenges in the education sector. The average years of schooling in the country are low compared to even neighbouring countries. The dropout rate, especially among girls, is high. In addition to that, there are still gaps in access to quality education, which makes it harder for many children to get access to proper learning opportunities.

Life expectancy in Pakistan is still below the global average. Furthermore, maternal and child mortality rates are high because there is limited access to quality healthcare, especially in rural areas of the country. Given this, the healthcare sector is dilapidated, reflecting the urgent need for improvements.

Gross National Income (GNI) per capita has remained stagnant. The purchasing power is decreasing while inflation and unemployment are on the rise, contributing to widespread poverty in several areas of the country. Poverty, inflation, and unemployment hinder the country’s progress and development.

Pakistan needs to tackle these issues to improve its HDI position and, most importantly, serve its people in a better way. The government must prioritise investment in education, healthcare and economic reforms to improve access to quality education, reduce dropout rates, increase the average years of schooling, strengthen the healthcare system to lower maternal and child mortality rates and develop policies that support job creation, reduce inflation and increase employment opportunities.