Pakistan Releases First Digital Economic Census: Over 7.1 Million Business Units, 25.3 Million Employed

Islamabad: The Planning Commission of Pakistan has released the results of the country’s first-ever Digital Economic Census, marking a significant milestone in data collection and economic planning.

According to the report, Pakistan has a total of **7.104 million business establishments**, employing **25.344 million individuals** across various sectors.

### Provincial Breakdown:

Punjab: 4.3 million businesses, 13.6 million workforce
Sindh: 1.3 million businesses, 5.7 million workforce
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 1 million businesses, 3.9 million workforce
Balochistan: 300,000 businesses, 1.3 million workforce
Islamabad: 86,000 businesses, 600,000 workforce

Business Types:
Retail shops: 2.78 million
Wholesale shops: 188,843
Service outlets: 825,254
Hotels: 256,926
Hospitals: 119,789 (13,883 public and 105,956 private)

Infrastructure Insights:
Residential and mixed-use buildings: 1.1 million
Residential buildings: 30.4 million
Economic (non-residential) buildings**: 5.1 million
Temporary or informal dwellings (huts, tents, caves)**: 530,000

### Education Sector:
Schools: 242,616 (143,599 public and 99,017 private)
Colleges: 11,568 (4,626 public and 6,942 private)
Universities: 214 (123 public and 91 private)
Religious seminaries (Madaris): 36,331

The Digital Economic Census was announced at the Ministry of Planning and has been integrated with the 2023 National Population and Housing Census. This effort marks a major step toward evidence-based policy-making and economic planning in Pakistan.