Pakistan is falling behind its regional neighbors in exports and spending on key sectors such as education and health, according to documents seen by ProPakistani.
Countries like India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Egypt have significantly higher export-to-GDP ratios but Pakistan’s exports remain limited to just 10 percent of its GDP—a figure that has consistently declined since 2010.
In 2010, Pakistan’s exports accounted for 13 percent of its GDP, but by 2024, they dropped to 10 percent. Comparatively, India’s exports stand at 22 percent of its GDP, while Bangladesh and Sri Lanka report figures of 13 percent and 27 percent, respectively. Other regional countries achieve exports equivalent to 27 percent of GDP on average.
The country’s performance in social sectors is similarly underwhelming. Pakistan spends just 0.8 percent of its GDP on health services, less than India’s 1.1 percent and Sri Lanka’s 1.9 percent.
In education, Pakistan allocates 1.9 percent of GDP, which is less than half of India’s what India spends on the sector (4.1%).