The Gallup Pakistan press release titled “Gallup Pakistan Analysis of Economic Census 2024: 7 Million Establishments Recorded Nationwide – Majority in Services, Small-Scale Units Dominate,” published on September 11, 2025. The report analyzes data from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) Economic Census 2023/24, claiming to provide a comprehensive overview of Pakistan’s economic landscape.
Research Points:
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Data Quality Omissions: The press release does not address significant data quality issues highlighted by experts. The Media reports that 52% of entries were initially vague, and the AI model’s 80% accuracy rate means up to 1.4 million establishments could be misclassified. Gallup’s failure to mention this undermines the reliability of its analysis.
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Exclusion of Informal Sectors: The census excludes mobile vendors, street stalls, and digital freelancers, which are critical to Pakistan’s economy, particularly for women. Gallup’s framing of the data as “comprehensive” is misleading without acknowledging these gaps.
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Limited Testing Scope: The AI classification model was tested in only three urban centers (Lahore, Karachi, Faisalabad), limiting its representativeness for rural areas. Gallup does not discuss this limitation, presenting the census as universally reliable.
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Lack of Methodological Transparency: The press release does not detail the PBS’s data collection or cleaning processes, such as how enumerators handled Roman Urdu entries or the specifics of AI algorithms used. This lack of transparency reduces the report’s credibility for research purposes.
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Overreliance on PBS Data: Gallup’s analysis is entirely based on PBS data without cross-referencing with other sources, such as the Labour Force Survey or Economic Survey, which it claims to have used in prior Big Data series. This raises questions about the depth of its analysis.
Celebratory tone and alignment
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Overly Positive Narrative: The press release frames the census as a “landmark” and “historic” achievement, emphasizing its scale and digital innovation while downplaying flaws. Terms like “comprehensive” and “unprecedented” create a narrative of success that glosses over data quality issues and exclusions. This aligns with government efforts to project economic progress, potentially serving as propaganda for the PBS and state institutions.
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Consumption-Driven Economy Framing: By highlighting the dominance of trade and services, Gallup reinforces a narrative of a consumption-driven economy without critically examining whether this reflects reality or census biases. The omission of informal sectors skews the narrative toward formalization, which may align with government priorities but misrepresents economic realities.
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Neutralizing Criticism: The press release acknowledges the “missing middle” but frames it as a policy challenge rather than a census flaw. This deflects scrutiny from methodological weaknesses and shifts focus to future policymaking, potentially aligning with state narratives of reform.
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Branding Gallup’s Role: The repeated emphasis on Gallup’s Big Data Analysis series and Bilal Gilani’s leadership serves as self-promotion, positioning Gallup as a key player in data accessibility. While this is not inherently problematic, it risks overshadowing critical analysis with branding, especially given the disclaimer that views are the author’s alone.
Analysis
The Gallup Pakistan press release provides a summary of the PBS Economic Census but falls short in critical engagement with the data. By omitting key limitations—such as misclassification risks, exclusion of informal sectors, and limited testing scope—it presents an overly optimistic view that aligns with government narratives of progress. The lack of methodological transparency and reliance on a single data source further weaken its analytical rigor. While the census is indeed a significant step, Gallup’s framing risks exaggerating its reliability and utility for policymaking.
The exclusion of informal sectors, particularly those involving women, is a critical oversight that skews the economic picture. Dr. Lubna Naz’s critique, as reported by The Express Tribune, underscores that women’s contributions are “economically invisible” due to the lack of financial data, a point Gallup ignores. This omission could perpetuate policy biases that overlook informal economies, which are vital in Pakistan.
The press release’s propaganda elements, such as its celebratory tone and alignment with state priorities, suggest an intent to bolster public perception of the census rather than critically evaluate it. This is particularly evident in the lack of discussion about AI classification errors and the exclusion of freelancers, which are increasingly relevant in Pakistan’s digital economy.
Overlooks significant data quality issues
The Gallup Pakistan analysis of the 2023/24 Economic Census reports key findings, such as the 7.14 million establishments and the dominance of small-scale trade and services. However, it overlooks significant data quality issues, excludes critical informal sectors, and employs a framing that emphasizes success over scrutiny. These irregularities and propaganda elements limit the report’s utility for researchers and policymakers. To improve, Gallup should address methodological limitations, incorporate diverse data sources, and critically engage with the census’s gaps to provide a balanced analysis.
