Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in Pakistan
Pakistan: Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required was 33.7% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in Pakistan, 2003–2022
Source: Harvard Medical School Program in Global Surgery and Social Change (PGSSC), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of people at risk.
Analysis
In 2022, share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in Pakistan stood at 33.7%. That is the lowest value across all 20 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 6.6% on the previous year and down 44.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in Pakistan peaked at 72.6% in 2006 and was at its lowest, 33.7%, in 2022.
That places Pakistan 36th out of 134 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 20 years of available data.
Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in Pakistan, year by year
| Year | % of people at risk | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 71.3% | — |
| 2004 | 70.5% | -1.1% |
| 2005 | 71.9% | +2.0% |
| 2006 | 72.6% | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 71.9% | -1.0% |
| 2008 | 70.7% | -1.7% |
| 2009 | 69.2% | -2.1% |
| 2010 | 69.8% | +0.9% |
| 2011 | 65.9% | -5.6% |
| 2012 | 60.5% | -8.2% |
| 2013 | 60.6% | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 60.7% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 58.8% | -3.1% |
| 2016 | 51.2% | -12.9% |
| 2017 | 45.5% | -11.1% |
| 2018 | 37.2% | -18.2% |
| 2019 | 38.3% | +3.0% |
| 2020 | 40.0% | +4.4% |
| 2021 | 36.1% | -9.7% |
| 2022 | 33.7% | -6.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 71.2% | 69.2% | 72.6% | 7 |
| 2010s | 54.9% | 37.2% | 69.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 36.6% | 33.7% | 40.0% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Pakistan
More population data for Pakistan
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.1692 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate 0.7801 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.1692 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.1091 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 367,808 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 1.8 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.5037 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth 0.2% (2100)
- Population density 662.88 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 32.24 million people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in Pakistan?
- Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in Pakistan was 33.7% in 2022, according to Harvard Medical School Program in Global Surgery and Social Change (PGSSC), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required recorded in Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 72.6% in 2006.
- What is the lowest share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required recorded in Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 33.7% in 2022.
- How does Pakistan rank for share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required?
- Pakistan ranks 36th out of 134 countries with data for 2022.
- Is share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required rising or falling in Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 44.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Pakistan data come from?
- The figures come from Harvard Medical School Program in Global Surgery and Social Change (PGSSC), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 20 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Catastrophic expenditure is defined as direct out-of-pocket payments for surgical and anaesthesia care exceeding 10% of total income.