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More Than Half of Pakistan Has No Internet Access: UNDP

Around 54.3 percent of the country does not have access to the Internet because of inadequate digital infrastructure and affordability challenges.

This has been disclosed in the UNDP Pakistan National Human Development Report (NHDR) 2023/2024 ‘Doing Digital for Development: Access, Adopt, Anticipate, Accelerate’ launched on Tuesday.

According to the report, Pakistan’s first-ever Digital Development Index (DDI) measures digital development progress across Pakistan’s provinces and districts, placing the country in the ‘moderate’ digital development category with a cumulative DDI of 0.205.

The report highlights that 54.3 percent of the country does not have access to the Internet because of inadequate digital infrastructure and affordability challenges.

Almost half of Pakistan’s districts have low DDI rankings. Without equitable access to digital technology, Pakistan’s human development outcomes will remain low and under-served. With 87.35 million internet users and significant mobile connectivity, Pakistan’s digital transformation opportunity presents an avenue for leapfrogging development barriers.

The report shows a strong correlation between districts that perform better on digital transformation and those that have higher human development outcomes.

For the first time in Pakistan, the NHDR 2023/2024 evaluates access to digital technologies in combination with other factors like digital usage, digital skills attainment, and transformative potential in the form of the DDI, which underscores how some districts have the highest transformative potential due to their high digital development.

According to the Global Human Development Report, Pakistan has a low Human Development Index rank of 164 out of 193 countries, coupled with a Gender Inequality Index position of 135 out of 166 countries. Digital divides further exacerbate poor development outcomes.

Through exhaustive statistical analysis at national, provincial, and district levels, a nationally representative survey, and consultations conducted all over the country, the Pakistan NHDR 2023/2024 presents a dynamic digital transformation policy framework of 4 As – Access, Adopt, Anticipate, Accelerate – investments in which can become Pakistan’s fastest route to human development.

“The Government of Pakistan is committed to harnessing the benefits of technological innovation to improve livelihood prospects, accelerate financial inclusion, improve employment, and deliver efficient public services,” stated Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal in his keynote address at the launch ceremony.

Earlier in her remarks, UNDP Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, Kanni Wignaraja observed that just over 60 percent of the population in Asia-Pacific is online, with women and marginalized groups significantly underrepresented. “Pakistan is the 6th largest contributor to the global middle-class growth between 2022 to 2030, contributing 25 million,” she said. “Targeted digital transformation efforts for this growing middle class could greatly improve the country’s productivity.”

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ProPK Staff