Islamabad, Dec 1 Once seen as a promising mid-tier state in South Asia, Pakistan now remains in the low human development bracket and trapped in the illusion of growth while its people continue to remain deprived, a report detailed on Monday.
According to the latest UNDP Human Development Report 2025, Pakistan's Human Development Index (HDI) stands at 0.544, positioned at 168th spot out of 193 nations, barely above nations emerging from conflict, a report in Pakistan Today highlighted. The HDI adjusted for inequality is further low at 0.364, showcasing how deeply unequal and exclusionary Pakistan's growth model has become.
"The irony is tragic: while the state celebrates economic recovery, its citizens experience a decline in dignity. These are not just numbers. They are the quiet arithmetic of neglect. Behind every fraction lies a child who drops out of school, a mother who dies giving birth, a graduate who cannot find work, or a citizen who cannot afford medicine," the report mentioned.
"Life expectancy at 67.6 years, expected years of schooling at 7.9, and mean years of schooling at 4.3— each statistic echoes a systemic failure to translate potential into progress. Even Gross National Income per capita, at barely USD 5,501, underscores that Pakistan’s economy is not creating opportunity but merely absorbing survival," it added.
The World Bank’s latest country diagnostics has also demonstrated the same dismay. Pakistan’s cities which were meant to be engines of innovation are now experiencing collapsing infrastructure, housing shortages, and polluted air, the Pakistan Today emphasises. As Karachi and Lahore face water scarcity and remain overcrowded and unevenly governed, the inability of authorities in urban management has not only caused inefficiency but also strengthened inequality, separating the privileged from the abandoned.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) 2025 review also showcases a sobering picture. From 2000-2022, Pakistan's per-capita GDP growth's average was at 1.9 per cent annually. The IMF said that the stagnation was due to "weak contributions from human and physical capital and declining productivity." The report stated, "Simply put, Pakistan has built an economy without building its people. Productivity has fallen, governance has fractured, and fiscal cycles keep repeating in a grim loop of bailout and breakdown."
Economic fragility, it said, continues to bleed Pakistan into social despair. The World Bank’s 2025 Human Capital Review notes that Pakistan ranks among the bottom 10 globally in public investment efficiency. Climate disasters compound the misery: the 2022 floods wiped out livelihoods, infrastructure, and years of social progress.
"The HDR’s observation that 'climate injustice and inequality now intersect' finds its sharpest expression here— where the poorest pay the highest cost for the failures of the powerful. What binds these failures together is a mindset that mistakes statistics for strategy. Pakistan continues to measure success in GDP figures while ignoring the hollowing of its human foundations," it stated.
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