ISLAMABAD (Mudassar Ali Rana) – Pakistan’s average monthly household income stands at Rs82,000, while average monthly expenditures are Rs79,000, according to the Household Integrated Economic Survey 2024–25. The survey highlights modest improvements in literacy, health, and digital access, alongside growing pressure on housing ownership due to population growth.
The proportion of households owning their homes has declined from 84 percent in 2018–19 to 82 percent in 2024–25, while the share of people living in rented homes has increased from 10 percent to 10.5 percent.
The national literacy rate has risen to 63 percent, reflecting an increase of only three percentage points over the past five years. Punjab recorded the highest literacy rate at 68 percent, while Balochistan remained the lowest at 49 percent. The percentage of out-of-school children aged five to sixteen declined from 30 percent to 28 percent.
School participation has shown gradual improvement. Enrollment at the primary level increased from 66 percent to 68 percent, middle school participation among children aged 11 to 13 rose from 38 percent to 40 percent, and matric-level enrollment reached 30 percent, up from 27 percent.
Access to digital technology expanded significantly. Internet access rose sharply from 34 percent to 70 percent of the population, while the proportion of internet users increased from 17 percent to 57 percent. Mobile phone or smartphone availability reached 96 percent of households.
Urban areas reported higher connectivity, with 81 percent of residents having internet access compared to 62 percent in rural areas. Mobile phone usage stands at 98 percent in urban areas and 95 percent in rural areas. Overall, 69 percent of men and 31 percent of women have access to mobile phones. In urban areas, 43 percent of women use mobile phones compared to 24 percent in rural areas. The survey found that 43 percent of both men and women still lack individual access to the internet.
Health indicators also showed improvement, with full immunization coverage increasing from 68 percent to 73 percent. Household consumption data revealed that, on average, per capita monthly consumption includes 6.5 kilograms of wheat, 0.86 kilograms of rice, 6.15 liters of milk, 2.8 eggs, 1.17 kilograms of potatoes, and 1.07 kilograms of sugar. Sugar consumption was higher in urban areas than in rural regions.
The use of clean fuels—such as natural gas, LPG, biogas, solar energy, and electricity—for cooking, heating, and lighting increased from 35 percent to 38 percent. Access to improved water sources also improved, with hand pump usage declining from 24 percent to 22 percent, tap water usage rising from 18 percent to 22 percent, and filtered water usage increasing from 9 percent to 10 percent. However, seven percent of the population still lacks access to basic sanitation facilities such as toilets.
Expenditure patterns show the highest spending on furnishings, household appliances, health, food, and goods and services. The survey also highlighted growing reliance on digital platforms for income generation. Among digital earners, 88 percent reported using TikTok, while 86 percent were engaged in vlogging on YouTube. Only 7.3 percent were involved in providing online taxi services.
The survey covered 32,785 households nationwide, offering a comprehensive snapshot of Pakistan’s evolving socioeconomic conditions amid demographic growth and rapid digital transformation.