Pakistan
Pakistan saw rapid development and experienced the highest growth rates in South Asia in its first 20 years after independence. However, in recent years, progress has slowed and the economy has seen a downturn. Development outcomes remain mixed, with over 44% of the population living under the national poverty line, a low female workforce participation rate and high youth unemployment.
Our focus areas
Livelihoods
With an estimated 24.8 million youth out of work and female labour market participation in Pakistan a low 25%, millions of women and young people lack employment opportunities and job security. Those who cannot secure a stable livelihood are at high risk of falling further into poverty.
Through our Livelihoods Programme, we aim to equip people, especially women and young adults, with the skills to secure jobs. Our focus is on sustainable livelihoods, life skills and access to finance. We promote both employment and enterprise.
We are particularly focused on:
- Building skills and strengthening enterprise development across agricultural economies, traditional trades, and high-growth sectors, helping women and young people establish sustainable livelihoods and grow their businesses.
- Promoting digital skills and innovative, climate-resilient livelihoods, opening access to new online markets, IT-related jobs, and forward-looking economic opportunities.
- Improving access to tailored finance and address mobility barriers, unlocking enterprise investment and scaling innovative finance models, including outcome-based instruments, to drive systemic change.
- Translating enabling government policies into practical economic outcomes, ensuring supportive frameworks deliver tangible benefits for women and young people.
- Strengthening collaboration across the skilling ecosystem, aligning employers, training providers, and trainees to ensure skills development translates into real employment and enterprise outcomes.
Mental health
An estimated 50 million (one in four) people in Pakistan experience mental health issues. Stigma, low awareness and limited services mean 90% of those needing treatment cannot access support, putting them at risk of further health issues, poverty and exclusion.
We aim to fundamentally transform the mental health landscape across Pakistan, destigmatising mental health, raising awareness, promoting accessible and affordable services, and building coalitions of support to drive lasting change. Our vision is a society that responds to mental health with compassion, communities equipped to manage their mental health, and effective strategies scaled to reach those who need them most.
Working with different stakeholders, including government and the corporate sector, our projects are focused on:
- Promoting access to community-based mental health services by integrating mental health support within the healthcare and education systems.
- Reducing stigma and building awareness of mental health across communities and society more broadly.
- Driving systemic and policy change by convening influential and diverse stakeholder groups and collaborating with local partners, leading evidence-based solutions that can be delivered at scale.
- Pioneering innovative forms of funding to sustain and scale lasting impact.
“When we speak openly about mental health, we help break down barriers, challenge stigma and remind people that they are not alone.”
Social Finance
We are working to advance outcome-based finance (OBF) in Pakistan by bringing together catalytic capital, cross-sector partnerships, and a sharper focus on measurable outcomes; in a context where development challenges are complex and resources are often constrained, OBF offers a powerful way to align funding with results, ensuring that capital is directed towards interventions that deliver meaningful and lasting impact. As a market builder, we are also committed to growing the wider ecosystem for OBF in Pakistan, sharing global and regional learnings, building awareness of OBF, supporting partner capacity, and helping stakeholders understand how innovative finance can be designed and implemented in practical, locally relevant ways.
Our work in Pakistan is focused on:
- Support government, private sector, philanthropic, and civil society partners to explore and apply innovative financing approaches to Pakistan's most pressing development priorities, including education, skills and workforce development, and mental health.
- Help government partners embed outcome-based financing (OBF) within public financial management, contracting, and service delivery systems to improve social outcomes.
- Shift the emphasis from funding activities to achieving outcomes, strengthening accountability and improving service delivery across sectors.
- Unlock new sources of capital for development by fostering collaborations built around results and impact.
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News & events
Launch of Sehat & Soul: transforming children's wellbeing through sport in Pakistan
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News & events
British Asian Trust Selected for Citi Foundation 2025 Global Innovation Challenge
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News & events
'Pathways to Rise': Launch of new project supporting 400 women-led enterprises in Pakistan
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Blogs
A new chapter for women’s economic empowerment in Pakistan: The Enterprise Acceleration Programme
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