Half of Pakistan’s Population Deprived of Internet: Report

News Desk

Islamabad: The first report released by the Digital Development Index has revealed that half of Pakistan’s population is without internet access.

This report, prepared in collaboration with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), is part of the National Human Development Report 2024, which was launched by the Minister of Planning and Development, Ahsan Iqbal.

This report placed the country in the ‘moderate’ category in terms of digital development and revealed that women are lagging behind in digital development, with 83.5 percent of women claiming that their phone is controlled by their husband or parents.

The report revealed that the level of digital development among the richest 20 percent of Pakistan’s population is 15 times higher than that of the poorest 20 percent of the population, indicating that wealth plays an important role in digital development.

According to the report, digital growth was highest in Islamabad, followed by Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Haripur, and Abbottabad, also in the top digital growth category.

The report identified a strong correlation between districts performing better on digital transformation and those achieving better human development outcomes.

On the other hand, Pakistan ranks low in the Human Development Index, it is ranked 164 out of 193 countries. In addition, Pakistan ranks 135 out of 166 countries in terms of gender inequality.

Speaking on the occasion, Ahsan Iqbal asserted that the government is committed to harnessing the benefits of technological innovation to improve economic prospects, accelerate financial inclusion, improve employment, and deliver efficient public services.

Iqbal said that digital access is very important in the modern age, like electricity, healthcare, and education. He emphasized the government’s responsibility to bridge the digital divide in all regions.

More than 60 percent of the population in Asia-Pacific has access to the Internet, with women and marginalized groups significantly underrepresented, said UNDP Assistant Administrator and Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific Kini Vignarajah.

During the 8 years from 2022 to 2030, there has been a substantial increase in the number of middle class people in Pakistan, with 2.5 million people joining the middle class during this period.

Kini Vignarajah said that digital transformation efforts for a growing middle class can greatly increase the country’s productivity.

The report pointed out that more than half of Pakistan’s population lacks access to the Internet due to inadequate digital infrastructure and other problems.