ISLAMABAD – The Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) on Wednesday unveiled landmark findings from the Pakistan Panel Household Survey (PPHS) 2024, the nation’s first fully digital panel survey, which tracks economic and social change for more than 20 years.
The survey’s results were presented at a seminar titled “Pakistan Panel Household Survey (PPHS): Key Insights and Implications for Policymaking”, featuring Dr. Shujaat Farooq, Dean of Research at PIDE, and moderated by Dr. Karim Khan, Dean Academics at PIDE.
Dr. Farooq highlighted a major achievement — 76% of the households surveyed in 2010 were successfully re-tracked in 2024, marking one of the highest retention rates in long-term research.
Supported by RASTA-DDR and conducted in partnership with the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), the PPHS expanded its reach from 16 to 30 districts, now including major cities such as Lahore, Karachi, Hyderabad, and Peshawar.
The 2024 round covered 8,621 households nationwide using digital tablets for real-time monitoring and higher data accuracy. It also introduced new research modules on learning poverty, care work, disability, financial literacy, child well-being, and modern consumption habits such as “eating out.”
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While literacy rates have improved, learning poverty remains high — 34% of students in Grades 3–8 cannot solve basic Grade-2 division problems.
Affordability continues to be a major hurdle, with 71% of parents citing financial issues as the main reason for school dropouts. Dropout rates remain high at 34% (middle level) and 21% (matric level).
The survey found that male labour participation slightly declined from 80% to 78%, while female participation increased from 23.7% to 26.9%.
Despite progress, women are still concentrated in agriculture and informal work, with few entering high-value or formal sectors. Occupational mobility remains stagnant, showing limited movement from blue-collar to white-collar jobs.
Encouragingly, educational mobility has improved — university graduates now make up 9% of the younger generation, compared to only 1% of their fathers.
Home ownership rose from 58% to 81%, and half of the families (50%) said they were financially better off than their parents.
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The PPHS shows major gains in maternal health. Antenatal care rose to 80.9% (up 28.5 points since 2001), while skilled birth attendance reached 88.5% (up 69.5 points). Home births dropped sharply to 11.6%, and TT vaccination coverage climbed to 72.3%.
However, regional gaps remain, especially in Balochistan, where access to maternal healthcare is still limited. Child nutrition indicators improved — stunting fell from 60% to 43%, and underweight children dropped from 50% to 33%, though wasting increased slightly.
Food insecurity continues to challenge households: only 19.5% can always afford their preferred meals, while 30% sometimes skip meals. Over 60% of households identified inflation as the most severe economic shock impacting their livelihoods.
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Using the Cost of Basic Needs (CBN) method, the national poverty rate stands at 30.5%, with a sharp divide between rural (36.6%) and urban (17.8%) areas.
The PPHS provides vital evidence for policy reforms, offering a detailed look at Pakistan’s progress and persistent inequalities across generations.