Pakistan Needs to Address Its Significant Data Quality Challenges
Policy-makers need data to formulate good policies. Good data produced by government agencies can be expected to lead to good policies and desirable outcomes. But data collection and statistical analyses require adequate methodologies and resources. Unfortunately, Pakistan's data quality gets a "C" grade by international agencies like the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Clearly the country faces significant data quality challenges. These challenges range from estimation of the size and scope of the informal economy and electricity demand/consumption to education and nutrition. Here are some examples of where the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) data differs sharply from what is being reported by non-government groups: 1. Gross Domestic Product: A large chunk of Pakistan's economy is not documented . The PBS seems to be failing in making even the most rudimentary estimates of it. A 2024 joint study of the International Labor Organization and the Small and Medi...