Pakistan's Ranking in Social Development: Have We Always been Backward?(Social Development) (Report‪)‬

The objectives of this paper are twofold: first, to examine the international ranking of Pakistan in terms of social development and second, to see whether the low level of social indicators in the country is a consequence of poor initial conditions or has there been a deterioration due to relatively low rate of improvement overtime? Using a sample of 25 developing countries and six basic social indicators relating to income, education and health, the analysis shows the current low rank of Pakistan, 18th out of 25 countries. The ranking has actually deteriorated from 17 in 1960. As such, analysis shows that Pakistan is a case of a country which not only started with a low level of human endowment but the situation has been exacerbated by the low level of improvement in it over time. The low priority accorded to social sectors, both in terms of budgetary resources and institutional development is a basic cause of the current malaise. If the situation is to be improved, concrete government effort at improving delivery mechanisms, improved cost-effectiveness of expenditures and higher budgetary resources will have to be ensured. Moreover, civil society at large will have to play a complementary role both in terms of enhancing awareness levels and provision of social services.