Govt unveils first-ever digital Household Integrated Economic Survey

ISLAMABAD: The government on Thursday unveiled the first-ever fully digital Household Integrated Economic Survey (HIES) 2024–25, a landmark data milestone that reveals sharp improvements in literacy, internet access, and immunization while offering policymakers an unprecedented evidence base for economic and social planning.

Federal Minister for Planning, Development & Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal officially launched the Household Integrated Economic Survey (HIES) 2024–25 on Thursday.

The event was hosted by the Chief Statistician, Dr. Naeemuz Zafar (SI), Muhammad Sarwar Gondal (SI), Member (SS/RM), Ms. Rabia Awan DDG (PSLM/PCS), and was attended by key stakeholders, members of the Technical Committee, and senior officers from the Ministry of Planning and the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.

READ MORE: Household survey: PIDE unveils key findings

According to the HIES 2024–25, Education milestone: Literacy reaches 63 percent from 60 percent nationwide. Out-of-School Children decreased from 30 percentto 28 percent.

Household Internet Access increased from 34 percent to 70 percent. Individuals using the internet increased from 17 percent to 57 percent.

Full Immunization (Record-Based) coverage increased from 68 percent to 73 percent. Use of Clean Fuels increased from 35 percent to 38 percent.

The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) has completed and released the results of the HIES 2024–25, marking a major milestone in Pakistan’s national data ecosystem.

Endorsed by the Technical Committee, the survey provides comprehensive insights to review the social and economic conditions of the country and serves as a key tool for evidence-based planning and policymaking.

The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) is terming it a major milestone towards data-driven governance and evidence-based policy making.

During the event, Deputy Director General Ms. Rabia Awan presented the key results and major highlights of the survey. Major highlights are: Household Mobile or Smartphone Facility has increased to 96 percent.

Household Internet Access increased from 34 percent to 70 percent. The individuals using the internet increased from 17 percent to 57 percent. Gender Parity at the primary level has increased from 92 percent to 96 percent. The Neo-Natal Mortality Rate has decreased from 41 to 35 per thousand live births.

The Infant Mortality Rate has decreased from 60 to 47 per thousand live births. The Total Fertility Rate has decreased from 3.7 to 3.6 children per woman. Use of clean fuels—such as natural gas, LPG, biogas, solar energy, and electricity for clean heating, lighting, and cooking — increased to 38 percent. Household incomes and consumption have increased.

A major part of the household consumption goes to Food (37 percent), housing and fuel (26 percent), followed by restaurants and hotels (6.63 percent), clothing and footwear (6.28 percent), and transport (6.21 percent) at the national level.

Addressing the launch ceremony, the Minister said that the Ministry of Planning and PBS have successfully been transformed into modern, data-driven institutions, which is a highly encouraging development.

He noted that the Planning Ministry is systematically clearing long-standing institutional backlogs and strengthening its analytical capacity.

Ahsan Iqbal highlighted that Pakistan’s first-ever digital population census was a major national achievement, followed by the Digital Agriculture Census and the Economic Survey of Pakistan, all of which were conducted successfully.

He said the Household Integrated Survey will now enable researchers to conduct more meaningful analysis, while providing valuable insights to the business community for better decision-making and improved productivity.

The Minister expressed optimism that Pakistan would achieve around 4 percent GDP growth during the current fiscal year. He said the government is pursuing a cautious and responsible economic policy, with a clear focus on ensuring sustainable and consistent growth in the coming years.

Ahsan Iqbal stressed that economic growth must be built on strong fundamentals and capacity development. He pointed out that the survey shows several positive economic and social indicators, reflecting gradual improvement.

He said Pakistan must urgently address its education emergency, aiming to raise the education participation rate to 90 percent.

He underscored that addressing the literacy crisis on an emergency basis is essential, noting that no country can truly develop without near-universal literacy, while Pakistan still has approximately 25 million out-of-school children.

He called for a collective national effort to transform Pakistan into a one-trillion-dollar economy by 2035 through sustained hard work.

He 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.

The Minister 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,” the Minister concluded.

The HIES 2024–25 is the First-Ever Fully Digital HIES conducted after the Digital Population and Housing Census 2023. Field operation of the survey was completed in June 2025 by conducting every quarter, covering 32,000 households across Pakistan, representative at the provincial and national level. A fully integrated Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system was used for data collection, task management, and real-time monitoring.

At the conclusion of the event, PBS highlighted that HIES 2024–25 reflects significant progress in education, health, digital access, and household income.

The survey provides a solid evidence base for data-driven policies, guiding inclusive and effective development interventions. These results underscore Pakistan’s commitment to improving living standards and promoting equitable growth across the country.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026