Tracking Multidimensional Energy Poverty in Pakistan: A Comparative analysis at Household-level
Utilizing the Alkire and Foster methodology on recent HIES data, this study reveals that while Pakistan has made significant progress in reducing the incidence of multidimensional energy poverty, the issue remains structurally entrenched with high deprivation intensity, particularly in rural areas and the provinces of Sindh and Balochistan, driven primarily by deficits in clean cooking and indoor pollution rather than electricity access.
Original paper licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). This is an AI-generated explanation of the paper below. It is not written or endorsed by the authors. For technical accuracy, refer to the original paper. Read full disclaimer
Energy is often thought of as a simple switch: a light is either on, or it is off. A stove is either connected to a gas line, or it is not. But for the people who rely on these services to cook dinner, keep their homes warm, or study after dark, the reality is far more complex. True energy well-being is not just about having a connection; it is about having reliable, clean, and affordable power that allows a family to function without fear of smoke filling their lungs or bills they cannot pay. This deeper understanding has led researchers to look beyond simple "yes or no" questions about electricity access. Instead, they are measuring energy poverty as a collection of different struggles a household might face, from the fuel used for cooking to the ability to own a refrigerator or a fan. This shift in perspective is crucial for countries like Pakistan, where rapid improvements in infrastructure have not necessarily solved the daily hardships of millions of families.
A team of researchers from the Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences set out to map this complex landscape in Pakistan. They wanted to see not just how many people had access to energy, but how deeply deprived those without it truly were. To do this, they analyzed data from two massive national surveys of households, one conducted in 2018 and another in 2024. By looking at the same families over time, they could track whether the situation was getting better or worse. Their method involved checking seven specific areas of daily life: whether a family used clean fuel for cooking, if their home was free from indoor air pollution, if they had reliable lighting, and if they owned essential appliances like refrigerators, washing machines, and televisions. They also looked at access to communication tools like mobile phones and computers, the ability to travel using a vehicle, and the capacity to heat or cool a home. A family was considered "energy poor" only if they were struggling in a significant number of these areas at once, rather than just missing one service.
The results reveal a story of dramatic progress mixed with stubborn, deep-seated challenges. When the researchers looked at the data from 2018, they found that energy poverty was widespread. Nearly half of all households in the country were struggling with multiple energy deprivations. The situation was particularly dire in rural areas, where six out of ten families faced these combined hardships, compared to a much smaller fraction in cities. The provinces of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were hit the hardest, with the majority of their populations lacking access to a full suite of modern energy services. At that time, the biggest hurdles were the lack of clean cooking fuels and the resulting indoor air pollution, which poses serious health risks, especially for women and children.
However, the picture changed significantly when the researchers examined the 2024 data. The number of households facing multidimensional energy poverty had dropped sharply across the entire country. By 2024, the incidence of energy poverty had fallen to just seven percent nationally. In urban centers, the problem had become almost negligible, with only one percent of households still struggling under a standard threshold, and virtually zero under stricter definitions. This suggests that the massive push to expand electricity grids and improve basic infrastructure over the last few years has successfully brought a vast number of people out of the most severe forms of energy deprivation. The gap between rural and urban areas has narrowed, though rural households still face a higher burden, with eleven percent of them classified as energy poor under standard thresholds compared to their urban counterparts.
Despite this encouraging decline in the number of people affected, the study uncovered a critical nuance that policymakers cannot ignore. While fewer families are now classified as energy poor, those who remain in that category are suffering from a much deeper level of deprivation. The intensity of their struggle has not improved as much as the number of affected families has decreased. For the households that are still energy poor, the lack of access is not a minor inconvenience; it is a structural failure where they are missing out on nearly half of the essential energy services they need. The data shows that while many families have gained access to electricity and basic appliances, the most vulnerable groups are still stuck relying on traditional, polluting fuels for cooking and lack the reliable power needed for heating, cooling, or running productive home businesses.
The geographic distribution of this remaining poverty also tells a specific story. While the province of Punjab has seen the most significant improvements, with very few households left in severe energy poverty, other regions continue to lag. Sindh and Balochistan still carry the highest burdens, with a larger share of their populations facing deep, overlapping deprivations. The researchers found that the improvements in electricity access have done much of the heavy lifting in reducing the overall numbers, but the challenge of clean cooking and indoor air pollution remains a dominant driver of poverty. This means that simply connecting more homes to the grid is no longer enough. The families who are still struggling need targeted help that addresses the quality of the energy they use, not just the quantity.
The study concludes that Pakistan has successfully moved from a phase of widespread exclusion to one of concentrated vulnerability. The energy poverty challenge has shifted from a problem affecting the majority to a deep, structural issue affecting a smaller, more marginalized group. This finding suggests that future policies must change their approach. Instead of broad, one-size-fits-all solutions, the government needs to design interventions that specifically target the remaining pockets of severe deprivation. This includes focusing on clean cooking technologies to reduce indoor pollution, ensuring that electricity supply is reliable and not just available, and providing financial support to the poorest households who cannot afford modern appliances. By using this detailed, multidimensional view of energy poverty, policymakers can better direct their resources to where they are needed most, ensuring that the goal of universal, modern energy access becomes a reality for every family, not just a statistic.
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