13% of Donations go to Schools. Almost Nothing Goes to Jobs….
Which development sector is the most underfunded in Pakistan?
The Pakistan Center for Philanthropy estimates that Pakistanis give away over PKR 240 billion a year, more than 1% of GDP, a rate that rivals far wealthier nations. However, it’s not how much is donated, but where that generosity goes that makes the difference.
By one industry estimate, 13% of Pakistan’s annual charitable giving goes to schooling, whereas food handouts, mosque construction, and religious causes absorb the largest shares.
The same skew shows up inside economic empowerment, training, jobs, small enterprise support, the kind of giving that lets someone stop needing charity rather than easing it for a week, barely register as their own category in most giving surveys.
The same funding pattern is reflected across i-Care’s network of 150+ partner charities: donor directed contributions to livelihoods remain lower than those to other sectors. With 6 in 10 Pakistanis under 30 and entering an increasingly constrained job market, i-Care hopes to encourage greater donor attention towards livelihood opportunities.
That mismatch is the shape of this whole piece: six sectors- livelihoods, health, education, disability & inclusion, community development & social welfare, and climate change each carrying a different national shortfall, funded in proportions that don’t always track the size of the problem.
To find out more visit i-Care’s report 2023-2025.
Livelihoods: The Smallest Line Item, the Youngest Country
Roughly 6 in 10 Pakistanis are under 30. This is either the country’s biggest asset or its biggest unmet obligation, depending entirely on whether that generation finds real work.
While livelihoods currently represent an emerging area within i-Care’s portfolio, donor-directed contributions reached PKR 20 million across five partner charities between 2023 and 2025. i-Care sees significant potential to build greater awareness and encourage more support for programs that help people secure sustainable incomes.
The most promising approaches connect certified vocational training with employer demand, link women to established production and market networks, and combine rural enterprise development
with agriculture. These models move beyond skills training alone, creating clearer pathways from learning to long-term earning.
Healthcare: $68 to heal a person, against a $475 benchmark
Pakistan’s government spent about $68 per person on public healthcare in 2022. Iran spent $475. China spent $623. Public health expenditure sits at 0.9% of GDP, Rs 925 billion for roughly 240 million people, against the WHO’s 5% benchmark for universal coverage.
The real cost of that gap: an estimated 11 million Pakistanis were pushed into poverty in 2024 alone, purely by medical bills, per World Bank analysis, with two-thirds of all health spending in the country paid out of pocket.
i-Care put over PKR 2 billion into this sector, its largest single allocation, through 42 partners. What’s showing traction: public-private partnerships that upgrade specific wards inside existing government hospitals instead of building parallel systems, and essential-medicine support programs, because for a family managing a chronic illness, the deciding factor is rarely the diagnosis. It’s whether next month’s medicine is affordable.
Education: The Learning Crisis Behind the Enrolment Number
Pakistan’s education crisis is often framed around the estimated 26 million children who are out of school, the second-highest figure globally and broadly equivalent to the population of Australia.
Yet access is only part of the challenge. According to UNICEF, seven in ten children in Pakistan cannot read and understand a simple sentence by the age of ten, including many who regularly attend school. The scale of the learning deficit makes improving educational quality just as urgent as expanding enrolment.
Education received the largest share of i-Care’s sectoral funding, with PKR 1.28 billion directed to 47 partner charities. The portfolio supports approaches designed to strengthen learning outcomes: improving capacity within existing government schools, introducing structured multigrade teaching in under-resourced classrooms, and supporting adult literacy for mothers, an investment that can also positively influence their children’s continued education.
To find out more, read i-Care’s report 2023-2025.
Disability and Inclusion:
WHO’s global estimate is that the prevalence of disability in the country is roughly 15%.
i-Care directed more than PKR 200 million to disability and inclusion initiatives through 19 partner charities. While this represents approximately 4.7% of overall giving, i-Care sees considerable scope to mobilize greater donor support in line with the scale of need.
Promising approaches include inclusive education models that integrate adaptive learning within mainstream classrooms, as well as vocational programs that work with both candidates and employers to create more accessible and sustainable pathways to employment.
Community Development & Social Welfare: Where Vulnerability Never Gets to Be Temporary
Pakistan ranks 109th of 127 countries on the 2024 Global Hunger Index.
What’s been missing isn’t generosity; Pakistan is one of the most charitable countries in the world by some measures. It’s the accountable infrastructure connecting that generosity to the people who actually need it.
Guided by donor preferences, i-Care allocated more than PKR 750 million to community development and social welfare initiatives through 37 partner charities. Effective approaches include maintaining documented beneficiary systems to support continuity beyond one-time assistance, using structured case management within shelter programs, and providing legal aid that recognizes access to justice as an essential form of social protection.
To find out more, read i-Care’s report 2023-2025.
Climate Change: A Growing Priority for a Highly Vulnerable Country
An important distinction is emerging between disaster response and long-term climate resilience. While relief efforts provide essential support following floods and other emergencies, climate focused interventions such as resilient housing, improved water management, and early-warning systems aim to reduce vulnerability before disasters occur.
Recognizing its growing importance, i-Care is exploring opportunities to encourage greater support for long-term resilience, including climate-resilient housing.
The Pattern
Across all six sectors, a common challenge emerges: national ambitions for education, healthcare, social protection, livelihoods, disability inclusion and climate resilience continue to exceed the resources available to realize them. With public spending on health and education remaining constrained, philanthropy plays an important complementary role.
Structured philanthropy does not replace the state’s responsibility. It helps bridge critical gaps by connecting donor priorities with vetted organizations that have the expertise, local presence, and systems to deliver meaningful outcomes. This is where i-Care adds value: enabling informed giving, strengthening accountability, and helping every contribution reach credible partners positioned to use it effectively.
FAQ
How many children are out of school in Pakistan? Between 25 and 26.2 million children aged 5–16, per UNICEF and UNESCO — the second-highest count of any country, and larger than Australia’s population.
What percentage of children in Pakistan can’t read by age 10? An estimated 70%, per UNICEF, a “learning poverty” measure that includes many children who are currently enrolled in school.
How much does Pakistan spend on healthcare? 0.9% of GDP in FY2024–25 (Rs 925 billion), against the WHO’s recommended 5% for universal coverage, about $68 per person, compared to $475 in Iran.
What percentage of Pakistan’s population lives with a disability? The 2023 census recorded 3.1% self-identifying as disabled and 9.64% reporting functional limitations, both considered undercounts relative to the WHO’s global estimate of roughly 15%.
How does i-Care Foundation vet the charities it funds? Every partner goes through an eight-step due diligence process- governance, financial integrity, compliance, and program credibility- before onboarding, reassessed at least every three years, to standards equivalent to U.S. public charities.
How can I donate to vetted charities in Pakistan? Through i-Care’s platform, to any of its 150+ vetted partners across all six sectors. U.S. donors get tax-deductible receipts via i-Care Fund America (501(c)(3)); donors in Pakistan get receipts eligible for local tax credits.
Sources: i-Care Foundation “Making Good, Great!” Report 2023–2025; Pakistan Centre for Philanthropy; UNICEF Pakistan; UNESCO; Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (7th Population & Housing Census, 2023); Pakistan Economic Survey 2024–25; World Bank; Germanwatch Climate Risk Index 2025; Global Hunger Index 2024.
