Facts and Figures

The Islamic Republic of Pakistan is located in southern Asia and borders the Arabian Sea, India in the east, Iran and Afghanistan in the west and China to the north.

Pakistan has a land area of 796,095 square kilometres and a population of 152 million. Pakistan and India are currently in dispute over the status of the Jammu and Kashmir region in the north.

The country is divided 112 districts within the four provinces of Baluchistan, Punjab, Sindh
and the North Western Frontier Province. The national capital is Islamabad which is situated
in Punjab Province, to the north of Pakistan. 

The four provinces of Pakistan differ significantly in their geography and demography.

Baluchistan Province is in the south west and borders southern Afghanistan, Iran and the Arabian Sea. It is the largest province in terms of size but the smallest in terms of population. Baluchistan has a very low population density of just 19 persons per square kilometre. The capital is Quetta, there are 26 districts and 76% of the population live in rural areas. Baluchistan is made up of desert with extreme summer and winter temperatures that hinder travel.

The North Western Frontier Province (NWFP) is in the north and borders Afghanistan and the disputed territories of Jammu and Kashmir. It is the smallest province within Pakistan but has
a large population, 83% of whom live in rural areas. The capital is Peshawar and there are
24 districts in the settled area and seven in the Federally Administered Areas and northern areas.

The provincial economy is based on agriculture, minerals and industry. NWFP has mixed topography; the mountain ranges of the Hindu Kush, the Karakoram and the Himalaya lie within the north of NWFP. There are fertile plains in the south but areas closer to the southern border with Baluchistan are dry and hot. Accessibility in mountain areas is particularly difficult. The climate ranges from extreme heat in summer to harsh, cold winters.

Punjab Province is in the east and borders India. It is considerably smaller than Baluchistan but has the largest population and the highest population density (359 persons per square kilometre). The capital of the province is Lahore and there are 34 districts. Punjab includes rich agricultural areas which grow rice and other produce. The river plains of Punjab have a large irrigation network extending from the Indus, Jhelum, Chenab, Beas, Sutlej and Ravi River systems that cross the province.

Sindh Province is in the south east and borders India and the Arabian Sea. It is the second smallest province but has the second largest population. There are 21 districts within Sindh and the capital is Karachi. Approximately 51% of the population live in rural areas.

The geography of Sindh is primarily arid, though irrigation from the Indus River provides water
for cotton, rice and wheat crops. The province has a large proportion of desert land and there are areas of drought affected desert to the west, where it borders Baluchistan.

Source: World Health Organization, Federal Bureau of Statistics - Government of Pakistan

Population: 160 million
Life expectancy: 63.4 years
Infant mortality rate: 80 per 1,000 births 
Percentage of population which is undernourished: 23%
Number of doctors: 74 per 100,000 people

Despite a free national health service and efforts by the Pakistan Government to improve health conditions, there remain many serious and pressing health problems.

The main health issues include communicable diseases, malnutrition and high levels of infant and maternal mortality. Compounding these issues are severe shortages of health services in rural areas where living conditions are poor, fresh water is limited and illiteracy rates high.

Pakistan is a poor country with considerable social and economic disadvantage. Levels
of poverty have worsened significantly over the last two decades. In 1986-1987 poverty affected 28.6% of the population and in 2003 just under 33% of the population lived below the national poverty line.

Approximately 67% of the population live in rural areas with low levels of income generation and limited access to services.

The national literacy rate is low at 44%, even lower in Baluchistan (25%) and NWFP (35%). Literacy is notably lower in rural areas and particularly among women living in rural areas. 

The conservative nature of society in Pakistan means women, especially in more disadvantaged socio-economic situations, experience significant hardships. Female-headed households in both rural and urban areas are more likely to be affected by poverty.

Baluchistan Province, with a sparse population density, low levels of education and limited resources, has had limited economic development. This is especially evident in the rural and remote areas of the province. Baluchistan has very strong cultural and religious traditions. 

Similarly NWFP has strong traditions. As in Baluchistan, the patriarchal dominance of society means there is considerable limitation on female mobility and access to health services. 

NWFP hosts a large population of Afghan refugees and its economy is based on agriculture and trading. The majority of the province’s rural population rely on subsistence farming.  

Punjab Province by contrast has a strong agricultural economic base. The national capital, Islamabad, is situated in this Province and there is a more liberal social environment.

Sindh remains primarily an agricultural and pastoral province. Rice and sugarcane are the primary crops despite the fact that its capital, Karachi, is Pakistan’s main commercial centre.

Sources: Government of Pakistan, Human Development Report 2006, UNDP

In 2005-2006, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Pakistan Ministry of Health conducted a National Blindness Survey to measure the prevalence and causes of blindness. The results found:

Number of blind people: 1.49 to 1.54 million
National blindness prevalence: 1.05%
Main causes of blindness: Cataract (53%), corneal scarring (14%), uncorrected refractive error (12%) and glaucoma (7%)
Number of people with cataract blindness: AOver 1 million people are cataract
blind, with an annual incidence of 1% (120,000 new cases) annually
Number of cataract operations performed annually: Approximately 270,000. WHO recommends that the annual cataract surgical rate (CSR) should be approximately 3,000 per
million population per year. Pakistan’s current CSR is 2,333 per million population per year.
Reasons for low cataract surgical rates and backlog: Lack of physical infrastructure, equipment, available training and qualified eye health personnel
Number of ophthalmologists: 1,500 (both public and private) of which more than 80% are based in urban areas
Percentage of blind population with uncorrected refractive error: 12%
Percentage of blind population with glaucoma: 7%
Percentage of blind population with corneal scarring: 14%
Population affected by childhood blindness: 500,000 new cases annually, which equates to roughly one case per minute

Nearly one in ten people in Pakistan are visually impaired, with more than two million people blind in both eyes. Most of this blindness is preventable and or treatable.

Approximately 70% of people affected by blindness in Pakistan live in remote areas of the country and are unable to travel to cities where the majority of services are located.

Reduced accessibility to services in these areas results in a particular disadvantage to women,
due to cultural and religious difficulties with travelling and staying away from home.

Similarly, in poor households the care of elderly blind people frequently falls to young girls which keeps them away from school and/or other educational or income generating activities. 

Blindness in elderly people has not been considered a priority to treat in Pakistan, as it is generally considered a natural part of the ageing process which has no cure.

Based on studies undertaken in 1993 by the World Bank, it was found that 40% of cataract blind patients are aged within their productive working years and experience total or partial loss of income due to their condition. This then has a direct and negative impact on economic productivity in Pakistan.

Sources: Pakistan Ministry of Health, World Health Organization