Balochistan faces a number of Economic and Developmental challenges. This page offers a statistical overview of the Economic and Developmental trends in Balochistan. The data presented here provides wholesome insights into the Economic and Developmental Landscape of the region. We shall base our policy recommendations on Economics and Development on the basis of the data shared here. The Page on Research and Opinions offers analyses and study of the figures and data presented here.
صوبہ بلوچستان کو کئی معاشی اور ترقیاتی مسائل کا سامنا ہے۔ یہ صفحہ پختونخواہ کی معیشت اور ترقیاتی صورتحال کا ایک شماریاتی جائزہ پیش کرتا ہے۔ یہاں پر موجود معلومات خطے کی معاشی اور ترقیاتی صورتحال کی ایک جامع تصویر پیش کرتی ہے۔ ہم اپنی پالیسی ساز سفارشات یہاں پر موجود معلومات کی بنیاد پر دیتے ہیں۔ آگے پڑا تحقیق اور آرا کا صفحہ بھی اپنا تجزیہ یہاں پر موجود معلومات کی بنیاد پر دیتا ہے۔
Balochistan: A Statistical Profile
Introductory Statistics 2017
| Description | Figures |
| Area | 347190 Sq.Km |
| Population | 12,344,408 |
| Districts | 32 |
| Tehsils | 108 |
| Villages | 7000 |
Education
Literacy Rate of Balochistan and Its Composition 2012
| Total | Urban | Rural | ||||||
| Both Sexes | Male | Female | Both Sexes | Male | Female | Both Sexes | Male | Female |
| 46 | 65 | 23 | 62 | 79 | 44 | 40 | 60 | 16 |
Government Schools Statistic for Balochistan 2013-16
| INSTITUTIONS | 2013-14 | 2014-15 | 2015-16 |
| PRIMARY SCHOOLS | 10585 | 11167 | 10929 |
| Male | 7807 | 8080 | 7945 |
| Female | 2778 | 3087 | 2984 |
| ENROLMENT | 527883 | 471821 | 415809 |
| Male | 332247 | 297829 | 250197 |
| Female | 195636 | 173992 | 165612 |
| TEACHING STAFF | 20205 | 20964 | 17110 |
| Male | 14296 | 14559 | 12075 |
| Female | 5909 | 6405 | 5035 |
| MIDDLE SCHOOLS | 1165 | 1233 | 1184 |
| Male | 670 | 721 | 684 |
| Female | 495 | 512 | 500 |
| ENROLLMENT | 184484 | 173726 | 157800 |
| Male | 98928 | 95424 | 84857 |
| Female | 85556 | 78302 | 72943 |
| TEACHING STAFF | 13977 | 15392 | 12056 |
| Male | 8226 | 9161 | 7469 |
| Female | 5751 | 6231 | 4587 |
| HIGH SCHOOLS | 826 | 879 | 874 |
| Male | 576 | 598 | 602 |
| Female | 250 | 281 | 272 |
| ENROLLMENT | 358849 | 365871 | 325774 |
| Male | 223056 | 226755 | 202008 |
| Female | 135793 | 139116 | 123766 |
| TEACHING STAFF | 20591 | 23439 | 18776 |
| Male | 13660 | 15324 | 12249 |
| Female | 6931 | 8115 | 6527 |
Source:- BEMIS, Directorate of Education, Balochistan, Quetta.
Source: – PPIU, Policy Planning and Implementation Unit Quetta.
Note:- Number of High Secondary School is also included in High School
Community School Statistics for Balochistan 2014-15
|
BALOCHISTAN |
Number | Enrollment | Teaching Staff | ||||
| Boys | Girls | Total | Male | Female | Total | ||
| 633 | 11011 | 15264 | 26275 | 560 | 222 | 782 | |
Source:- Balochistan Education Foundation, Quetta
Government Schools Students/Teachers Ratio (2014-15)
| Boys Enrollment 696436 | Male Teachers 30622 | Students Teachers Ratio 1:23 |
| Girls Enrollment 347701 | Female Teachers 15250 | Students Teachers Ratio 1:23 |
| Total Enrollment 1044137 | Total 45872 | Students Teachers Ratio 1:23 |
Source: – B E M I S, Directorate of Education, Balochistan, Quetta
Number of Degree Colleges in Balochistan 2014-16
| 2014-15 | 2015-16 | ||||
| Male | Female | Total | Male | Female | Total |
| 41 | 20 | 61 | 42 | 21 | 63 |
Source: – Directorate of Higher Education, Balochistan, Quetta.
Teaching Staff of Intermediate College 2014-16
| 2014-15 | 2015-16 | ||||
| Male | Female | Total | Male | Female | Total |
| 460 | 228 | 688 | 520 | 238 | 758 |
Source:- Directorate of Higher Education, Balochistan, Quetta.
Number of Degree Colleges by Gender 2014-16
| 2014-15 | 2015-16 | ||||
| Male | Female | Total | Male | Female | Total |
| 29 | 17 | 46 | 29 | 18 | 47 |
Source:- Directorate of Higher Education, Balochistan, Quetta.
Teaching Staff of Degree Colleges by Gender 2014-16
| 2014-15 | 2015-16 | ||||
| Male | Female | Total | Male | Female | Total |
| 1268 | 491 | 1759 | 1343 | 585 | 1928 |
Source:- Directorate of Higher Education, Balochistan, Quetta.
Universities of Balochistan 2016
| Sr. | University | Description |
| 1 | University of Balochistan Quetta | Both Genders |
| 2 | S.B.K (Women University) Quetta | Women |
| 3 | I.T University Quetta | Both Genders |
| 4 | Engineering University Khuzdar | Both Genders |
| 5 | Agriculture, Water & Marine Sciences | Both Genders |
| 6 | University Lasbella | Both Genders |
| 7 | University of Loralai | Both Genders |
| 8 | University of Turbat | Both Genders |
Source:- Directorate of Higher Education, Balochistan, Quetta.
Teaching Staff of Balochistan Universities 2016
| Male | Female | Total |
| 956 | 477 | 1433 |
Health
Number of Health Facilities 2015
| Units | Hospitals | Dispensaries | Maternity &Child Welfare Centers | Beds in Hospitals & Dispensaries Etc |
| Numbers | 127 | 559 | 96 | 7541 |
Statistical Year Book 2015
Government Health Facilities in Balochistan 2014-15
| Hospitals | Dispensaries | Rural Health Centers | |||
| No | Beds | No | Beds | No | Beds |
| 49 | 4146 | 550 | 540 | 102 | 1044 |
Balochistan’s B.H.U, M.C.H AND T.B CLINICS 2014-15
| BHU | MCH | T.B. CLINICS |
| 642 | 91 | 23 |
Private Sector Health Facilities 2014-15
| Hospitals | Dispensaries | ||
| No | Bed | No | Bed |
| 80 | 2305 | 19 | 19 |
Doctors in Balochistan 2014-15
| Male | Female | Total |
| 1740 | 491 | 2231 |
Nurses in Balochistan 2014-15
| Male | Female | Total |
| 85 | 705 | 790 |
Paramedics in Balochistan 2014-15
| Pharmacist | Drug Inspector | Health Education Officer | LHVs | Dias/Mid Wives |
| 440 | 72 | 17 | 829 | 1673 |
Source :- Health Directorate Balochistan, Quetta.
Energy 2014-15
| Number of Consumers in Wapda’s System | 565000 |
| Number of Villages Electrified | 827 |
Source: – (1) WAPDA, Lahore (2) QESCO, Quetta
Electricity Consumption & No. of Consumers 2014-15
| Total | Consumption: | 3994 |
| No. of Consumers: | 564887 | |
| Domestic
|
Consumption: | 573 |
| No. of Consumers: | 423876 | |
| Commercial
|
Consumption: | 109 |
| No. of Consumers: | 105721 | |
| Industrial
|
Consumption: | 140 |
| No. of Consumers: | 3662 | |
| Agricultural
|
Consumption: | 3668 |
| No. of Consumers: | 31139 | |
| Other
|
Consumption: | 104 |
| No. of Consumers: | 489 |
Source: – (1) WAPDA, Lahore (2) QESCO, Quetta
Transport
Railway
| S.NO. | CLASSIFICATION | 2015-16 |
| 1 | Route (kilometer) | 1202 |
| 2 | Track (kilometer) | 1469 |
| 3 | Railway Stations (number) | 56 |
| 4 | Freight-train-kilometer | 8622798 |
| 5 | Passenger, Mixed & other Coaching Trains-run | 2952 |
| 6 | Train Kilometers passenger & mixed train (including
departmental) |
689107 |
| 7 | Total Kilometers travelled by Coaching vehicle (including
departmental) |
9567365 |
| 8 | Freight train-run | 201 |
| 9 | Freight wagon Kilometers (including departmental) | 654773 |
| 10 | Freight train Kilometer (including preparation of mixed &
departmental) |
46764 |
| 11 | Persons employed (b) | 3979 |
Source: – Pakistan Railways Lahore
Roads
Roads in Kilometers and by Type June 2016
| Black Topped | Shingle | Total |
| 19862 | 20375 | 40237 |
Source: Communications & Works Department, Government of Balochistan
Number and Type of Total Registered Vehicles 2016
| Vehicle | Numbers |
| Ambulance | 364 |
| Bus | 4336 |
| Crane | 363 |
| Delivery Van | 83 |
| Dumper Truck | 10017 |
| Excavator | 108 |
| Jeep | 11349 |
| Loading Truck | 117 325 |
| Mini Bus | 4129 |
| Mini Truck | 5345 |
| Mixture Truck | 464 |
| Motor Car | 20773 |
| Motor Cycle | 237505 |
| Oil Tankers | 6719 |
| Oil Tanker Trailer | 8926 |
| Open Truck | 9295 |
| Pick up | 20384 |
| Pick up D/Cabin | 1318 |
| Rickshaw | 13049 |
| Road Roller | 41 |
| Station Wagon | 10573 |
| Station Wagon D/C | 599 |
| Taxi | 501 |
| Tractor | 18268 |
| Tractor Trailer | 48 |
| Transit Mixer Truck | 268 |
| Truck | 31287 |
| Truck Crane | 124 |
| Truck Trailer | 19580 |
| Van | 2984 |
| Water Tanker | 1436 |
| Others | 1967 |
| TOTAL | 442528 |
Source: Directorate of Excise & Taxation, Balochistan, Quetta
Major Economic Trends
Major Mineral Production of Balochistan 2015-16 (In Tons)
| Copper (Ore) | 4731 |
| Chromite | 88516 |
| Coals | 1984269 |
| Lime Stone | 1113674 |
| Marble | 7535 |
| Iron Ore | 137530 |
Source: Directorate of Minerals, Balochistan, Quetta
Public Sector Development Programs Allocation of Budgets 2014-17
| Sector / Sub Sector | 2014-15 | 2015-16 | 2016-17 |
| Agriculture | 3493.311 | 4204.768 | 3628.951 |
| Livestock | 283.004 | 380.279 | 199.000 |
| Forestry | 122.000 | 138.258 | 120.924 |
| Fisheries | 385.000 | 289.309 | 362.290 |
| Food. | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0 ..000 |
| Industries | 255.000 | 100.000 | 278.600 |
| Minerals | 153.184 | 115.900 | 66.500 |
| Manpower | 145.000 | 148.050 | 59.979 |
| Sports | 1814.013 | 557.274 | 522.673 |
| Culture | 310.320 | 320.000 | 281.150 |
| Tourism | 55.000 | 4.500 | 15.000 |
| Information Technology | 148.800 | 258.359 | 272.500 |
| Physical Planning & Housing | 2788.286 | 2922.779 | 2534.900 |
| Communication | 9956.901 | 10854.612 | 9606.793 |
| Water | 3532.462 | 2961.531 | 3968.549 |
| Education | 11725.235 | 10196.879 | 6651.257 |
| Health | 4382.436 | 3839.840 | 3620.912 |
| Public Health Engineering | 4573.250 | 4627.536 | 15255.521 |
| Social Welfare | 198.801 | 145.740 | 240.102 |
| Environment | 201.390 | 4.500 | 1.500 |
| Local Government | 558.583 | 5831.351 | 1475.647 |
| Power | 3335.775 | 3565.824 | 2496.155 |
| Women Development | N.A | 8.689 | 16.500 |
| Information | N.A | 10.000 | 2.000 |
| Urban Planning | 312.418 | 414.838 | 81.000 |
| Other Schemes | 2011.512 | 2604.550 | 19424.010 |
| Total :- | 50741.681 | 54505.366 | 71182.413 |
Source :- Planning & Development Department, Government of Balochistan, Quetta.
Asad Ahmed Discusses Poverty in Balochistan
THE fact that 57 per cent of Balochistan lived on less than Rs3,000 per person per month in 2014 may raise a few eyebrows, but is unlikely to fly in the face of what informed citizens generally know. What will be less widely known is that Balochistan is the only province where this rate increased between 2010 and 2014, and that it stands at nearly twice the rapidly falling, national rate of under 30pc. (World Bank estimate using newly developed 2014 poverty line, back-casted, and inflation adjusted for prior years)
The good news for Pakistan’s poor is, of course, the Benazir Income Support Program. Dispensing over a billion dollars a year across the country, helping deserving families fight the poverty trap, BISP remains a splendid idea that needs to be expanded manifold to bring our social protection expenditure in line with our economic peers. Despite recent noises to the contrary, this is a view that rightly enjoys broad consensus amongst serious economists. This, of course, doesn’t mean there is no bad news.
The bad news for Balochistan is this: the state’s premier social protection programme is systematically biased against what is by far the poorest province in the country.
Demonstrating this bias is simple. The way BISP works is that deserving families selected via a nation-wide poverty census (last completed in 2011) receive Rs4,700 a quarter, paid to the woman of the house. Sounds fair. Until one starts examining the provincial numbers.
Based on the latest census, and BISP’s latest data, 16pc of Pakistani households received unconditional transfers from BISP. For Punjab, with the lowest poverty level, the coverage level is, unsurprisingly, the lowest of the provinces, at 12pc. One would expect that the percentage of Balochistan’s population covered by BISP would be the highest.
It’s not.
In fact, only around 13pc of households in Balochistan were beneficiaries. Thus, bizarrely, a resident of Balochistan, while more than twice as likely to be poverty stricken as a resident of Punjab, has a roughly equal likelihood of being a BISP recipient. Every other area (including Fata and Gilgit-Baltistan) has substantially higher coverage. To the north, 25pc of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s households receive BISP transfers, and to the east, far richer Sindh, with far smaller household sizes, is 22pc covered.
So, to equal KP’s coverage, BISP’s reach in Balochistan would have to nearly double. This would mean an additional 235,759 of the province’s women getting a stipend. Put another way, nearly a quarter million of Balochistan’s families are being deprived of what should rightfully be theirs. To say that this is unacceptable is to state the obvious.
The renowned economist, Dr. Kaiser Bengali, the first national coordinator of the BISP, in his recent book (A Cry for Justice: Empirical Insights from Balochistan) arrives at a similar conclusion. He notes that it is “disturbing” that Balochistan’s share in total BISP disbursements in 2014/2015 was substantially lower than its population share, whereas one would expect the reverse, based on relative deprivation.
So how did this happen?
Initially, BISP beneficiaries were chosen by legislators, each of whom were given quotas. Because each province has an equal number of senators, Balochistan’s share of the pie was thus far larger than its population share. Unsurprisingly though, leaving the need assessment to parliamentarians proved to be a bad way to target the genuinely poor.
That’s when the federal government adopted the current methodology, based on an ambitious nationwide poverty census concluded in 2011, rating households using a poverty scorecard. While, by most accounts, this has largely resulted in a more equitable selection of recipients within provinces and regions, it has been disastrous for inter-provincial distribution, and has caused the injustice at the heart of the programme today.
Dr Bengali’s work helps explain why. He argues that the main reason for Balochistan’s underrepresentation among recipients is the fact that a larger portion of the populace (compared to other regions) wasn’t even surveyed. This thesis is corroborated by even a cursory data analysis of houses visited as a per cent of estimated population.
Why might this be? Simple answer: roads. Thanks to a terrible road network across the province, Dr Bengali reckons that enumerators for the house-to-house poverty tally (conducted after he had left BISP) essentially ignored thousands of families living in isolated, inaccessible settlements across the vastness of Balochistan. Adding to the gravity of the omission, those left out for this reason were almost certain to be poorer than average. For a social protection programme to overlook people who are so poor and neglected that they are difficult to reach is a special kind of absurd.
Ms Marvi Memon, chairperson of BISP, is on record multiple times over the past few years acknowledging that the poverty census was flawed in Balochistan, and the errors will be corrected in an update. This update is now finally under way, and should be completed this year. Better late than never, surely. But it is critical that the results be compared to other poverty estimates to ensure that there are no such omissions this time.
It is unclear why an obviously unjust distribution continued for more than five years, or why the programme grew substantially over the same period, without addressing such a clear wrong. Why none of the major impact assessments of the programme brought attention to this issue is an important question worth asking. Why the new poverty census didn’t start from Balochistan is another.
BISP is an excellent mechanism to ensure that growth in Pakistan is equitable and inclusive. Indeed, those in power will be judged by such metrics. As far as the poor families in Balochistan missed by the BISP survey are concerned, the jury is still out.
The writer is a Lahore-based columnist and consultant with a background in finance, strategy, and energy.
Published in Dawn, March 24th, 2018
