State Capacity Index in Pakistan

Pakistan: State Capacity Index was 0.0124 in 2015. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2015)
0.0124
Change on year
down 57.9%
World rank
121st
of 166 countries
All-time high
0.2635
in 2007
All-time low
-0.6571
in 1991
Years of data
56
1960–2015

State Capacity Index in Pakistan, 1960–2015

-0.6-0.4-0.2-00.2196019872015

Source: Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2015, state capacity index in Pakistan stood at 0.0124.

The figure is down 57.9% on the previous year and down 94.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, state capacity index in Pakistan peaked at 0.2635 in 2007 and was at its lowest, -0.6571, in 1991.

That places Pakistan 121st out of 166 countries with data for 2015, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

State Capacity Index in Pakistan, year by year

Annual values for State Capacity Index in Pakistan, 1960 to 2015.
Year Value Change
1960 -0.2116
1961 -0.2109 -0.3%
1962 -0.2604 +23.5%
1963 -0.1011 -61.2%
1964 -0.1352 +33.7%
1965 -0.0928 -31.3%
1966 -0.0402 -56.7%
1967 0.0581 -244.7%
1968 -0.0373 -164.2%
1969 -0.0012 -96.7%
1970 0.2114 -17079.9%
1971 0.0017 -99.2%
1972 -0.0502 -3073.3%
1973 -0.1985 +295.7%
1974 -0.2576 +29.8%
1975 -0.2157 -16.3%
1976 -0.1131 -47.6%
1977 -0.101 -10.7%
1978 -0.1577 +56.1%
1979 -0.2448 +55.2%
1980 -0.2575 +5.2%
1981 -0.2244 -12.9%
1982 -0.141 -37.2%
1983 -0.1732 +22.8%
1984 -0.2393 +38.2%
1985 -0.2398 +0.2%
1986 -0.2527 +5.4%
1987 0.0205 -108.1%
1988 -0.3282 -1697.9%
1989 -0.3438 +4.8%
1990 -0.5054 +47.0%
1991 -0.6571 +30.0%
1992 -0.5692 -13.4%
1993 -0.4441 -22.0%
1994 -0.2891 -34.9%
1995 -0.2513 -13.1%
1996 -0.0679 -73.0%
1997 -0.0161 -76.3%
1998 -0.0857 +431.6%
1999 -0.0523 -39.0%
2000 -0.0415 -20.7%
2001 -0.0442 +6.6%
2002 0.0018 -104.1%
2003 0.0065 +261.3%
2004 0.1241 +1807.2%
2005 0.2401 +93.5%
2006 0.1596 -33.5%
2007 0.2635 +65.1%
2008 0.2004 -23.9%
2009 0.1794 -10.5%
2010 0.0974 -45.7%
2011 0.0617 -36.6%
2012 -0.0097 -115.8%
2013 -0.0366 +276.5%
2014 0.0294 -180.2%
2015 0.0124 -57.9%

Pakistan compared with similar countries

  • Pakistan's 0.0124 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.0123, 1.0× the median. (43 countries reporting)
  • Pakistan's 0.0124 is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 0.2707, 5% of the median. (21 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where State Capacity Index in Pakistan changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
1970 +17079.9% -0.0012 0.2114
1972 -3073.3% 0.0017 -0.0502
2004 +1807.2% 0.0065 0.1241
1988 -1697.9% 0.0205 -0.3282
1998 -431.6% -0.0161 -0.0857

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s -0.1033 -0.2604 0.0581 10
1970s -0.1125 -0.2576 0.2114 10
1980s -0.2179 -0.3438 0.0205 10
1990s -0.2938 -0.6571 -0.0161 10
2000s 0.109 -0.0442 0.2635 10
2010s 0.0258 -0.0366 0.0974 6

Countries ranked near Pakistan

  1. 118 Azerbaijan 0.0577 compare
  2. 119 Niger 0.0481 compare
  3. 120 Lebanon 0.0248 compare
  4. 122 Bangladesh 0.0123 compare
  5. 123 Venezuela -0.026 compare
  6. 124 Nepal -0.0274 compare

See the full ranking of 166 places →

More reference data data for Pakistan

All data for Pakistan →

Frequently asked questions

What is state capacity index in Pakistan?
State capacity index in Pakistan was 0.0124 in 2015, according to Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest state capacity index recorded in Pakistan?
The highest recorded value was 0.2635 in 2007.
What is the lowest state capacity index recorded in Pakistan?
The lowest recorded value was -0.6571 in 1991.
How does Pakistan rank for state capacity index?
Pakistan ranks 121st out of 166 countries with data for 2015.
Is state capacity index rising or falling in Pakistan?
Over the last ten years it is down 94.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Pakistan data come from?
The figures come from Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of State Capacity Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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State Capacity Index in Pakistan. Statizoid, drawing on Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/state-capacity-index/pakistan/

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About this data

Indicator
State Capacity Index
Source
Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
166 places, 8,015 data points, 1960–2015
Last refreshed

Measures state capacity by combining 21 different indicators related to three key dimensions: extractive capacity, coercive capacity, and administrative capacity. Higher values indicate greater state capacity.