Mishal Pakistan has unveiled its inaugural State of Freedom Report 2026, providing a comprehensive nationwide evaluation of the gap between constitutional guarantees of freedom and the actual lived experiences of citizens across institutional, personal, and economic dimensions. The report is based on a survey of 2,000 respondents, predominantly educated participants, and estimates Pakistan's population at over 245 million, with 64 percent under the age of 30.
Digital and Economic Expansion
The report highlights significant digital growth, including 145 million broadband users, over 195 million mobile connections, and a burgeoning fintech ecosystem with up to 120 million branchless banking wallet users. IT and freelance exports have surpassed $3 billion.
Civic and Social Indicators
On civic and social fronts, 77 percent of respondents feel free in choosing their profession, while 75 percent express satisfaction with business and women-related opportunities. However, 62 percent believe they have limited influence over government decisions, and only 35 percent are optimistic about the country's direction. Financial insecurity remains a concern for 58 percent of citizens.
Structural Pressures and Challenges
The report also underscores structural pressures, including over 2.3 million pending court cases across various tiers, prison overcrowding particularly in Sindh at 161 percent capacity, and rising socio-legal concerns such as 344 blasphemy-related allegations reported in 2024. It concludes that citizens associate freedom with economic opportunity, justice, governance, and digital access, while identifying climate change, cybersecurity, misinformation, water scarcity, urbanization, unemployment, and inequality as key challenges ahead.
