Three Decades of Data, One Clear Story: Pakistan Has Moved Forward

It is easy to debate Pakistan through headlines, anecdotes, and daily frustrations. It is harder—but far more useful—to look at the country across decades.

That is what the Gallup Pakistan Digital Analytics Team is trying to make easier: bringing long-run evidence into accessible, visual form so Pakistanis can see the scale of change—not just the problems of the moment.

This chart tracks Pakistan’s journey in infant and neonatal mortality from 1990–91 to 2024–25.

Infant mortality has fallen from 90 to 42 deaths per 1,000 live births
Neonatal mortality has declined from 51 to 30 deaths per 1,000 live births

The result is that far more children now survive their first year—and their first month—than was the case three decades ago.

The journey has not been linear. Progress was slower in some periods and faster in others. But the long-term direction is unmistakable.

Behind these numbers are changes that are sometimes invisible in public debate: more institutional deliveries, greater use of skilled birth attendants, wider immunisation coverage, improved maternal awareness, stronger health infrastructure, and better access to care.

Pakistan’s remaining challenge is serious. Thirty neonatal deaths per 1,000 live births is still far too high. The last mile will require better quality of antenatal care, safer deliveries, stronger neonatal services, nutrition, and functioning referral systems.

But self-flagellation is not a strategy.

A country must be able to recognise what has worked before it can scale it further. Looking at the data since 1990 is not about complacency. It is about understanding the journey, identifying the drivers of improvement, and building the confidence to finish the job.

At Gallup Pakistan Digital Analytics, we are working to make this three-decade story of change more visible—one indicator, one dataset, and one clear visual at a time.

Analysis by Gallup Pakistan Digital Analytics Team what we are calling as Atlas of Development which compiles all surveys done by government and NGO sector into one repository of AI enabled dashboard where questions can be asked and answers come situated in data sets !