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However, 27 percent of rural households still lack toilets, reflecting persistent inequalities between
urban and rural communities.
Figure 6.4: Type of toilet used 2024-25
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), flush toilet use increased from 83 to 92 percent, with rural coverage
rising from 80 to 91 percent, and urban access improving slightly from 96 to 97 percent. The share
of households without toilets declined from 8 to 4 percent, showing progress in both regions.
Balochistan, though improving, continues to lag behind other provinces —flush toilet usage
increased from 41 to 65 percent, with urban coverage increasing from 82 to 87 percent and rural
from 25 to 56 percent. Households without toilets fell from 17 to 12 percent, yet rural access
remains low, underscoring ongoing sanitation challenges in the province (Table 5).
Table 6.4 shows that the use of flush toilets increases with income and is much higher in urban
areas than in rural ones. In the lowest income group (1st quintile), 7 0 percent of households have
flush toilets, while in the highest group (5th quintile), 9 8 percent have them. Non -flush and no -
toilet households decrease as income rises. In urban areas, almost all households (98 percent) use
flush toilets, and very few lack toilet facilities. In contrast, rural areas have lower access, with 82
percent using flush toilets and 11 percent having no toilet at all. Overall, the data indicate that
better toilet facilities are linked with higher income and urban residence.
0 20 40 60 80 100 Flush Non- Flush No Toilet 89 4 7 80 8 12 2024-25 2018-19
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6.3.1 Improved Toilet Not Shared with Other Households According to the SDG 6.2 sanitation framework, a key requirement for safely managed sanitation is that households use an improved toilet facility that is not shared with other households. A non-shared toilet means that only one household uses the facility, ensuring privacy, hygiene, and proper maintenance. Even when a toilet is improved—such as a flush system, pour-flush, or pit latrine with slab—it is not classified as safely managed if multiple households share it. Based on this definition, the results below show the share of households in the survey that have access to non-shared toilets. At the national level, 74% of households report using a toilet facility that is not shared with any other household. Provincial patterns show relatively higher access in Punjab (77%) and Sindh (75%), followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at 70%. Balochistan lags with only 54% of households having exclusive access to a non-shared toilet. These results highlight substantial regional disparities in safely managed sanitation, with Balochistan requiring the most targeted interventions to improve access to household-level sanitation (Figure 6.5).
Table 6.4: Type of Toilet by the Household-By Quintile Group Source 1st Quintile 2nd Quintile 3rd Quintile 4th Quintile 5th Quintile Total Both
Flush
70
83
90
94
98
89
Non-Flush
8
7
4
3
1
4
No toilet
22
10
6
3
1
7
Urban
Flush
88
96
98
99
99
98
Non-Flush
3
2
1
0
0
1
No toilet
8
2
1
1
0
1
Rural
Flush
66
78
86
90
95
82
Non-Flush
9
9
6
4
3
6
No toilet
25
13
8
5
3
11
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Figure 6.5: Improved Toiles not Shared with Other Households. Type of Sanitation System Installed In the survey questionnaire, type of sanitation system has been categorized as: Underground Drains, Covered Drains, Open Drains and No System. Figure 6.6 shows the type of sanitation used between 2018–19 and 2024–25. Pakistan showed slight improvement in sanitation facilities. The share of households using underground drains increased from 22 to 24 percent, mainly due to better urban coverage, 50 to 54 percent.
Figure 6.6: Type of Sanitation Used
Covered drains stayed about the same at 5 percent, and open drains also changed little (37
to 38 percent). It is encouraging that households with no sanitation system fell from 35 to 33
54
7
31
7
4 3
42
51
24
5
38
33
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
yes underground drains yes to covered drains yes to open drain No system
Urban Rural Overall
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Pakistan Punjab Sindh KP Balochistan
74 77 75 70
54
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percent, showing some progress, although a large difference remains between urban (7 percent)
and rural (51 percent) areas.
Among provinces, Balochistan continues to report the highest share of households without any sanitation system (66 percent), followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with 44 percent and Sindh with 38 percent. In contrast, Punjab performs relatively better, with only 25 percent of households lacking sanitation systems (Table 6). In the quintile-wise comparison, access to improved sanitation systems increased gradually with household economic status.
Nationally, 7 percent of households in the lowest quintile use underground drains, compared to 44 percent in the highest quintiles. Meanwhile, the share of households without any sanitation system decreases notably from 59 percent in the lowest to 14 percent in the highest quintile, indicating better sanitation access among higher-income groups. In urban areas, access to improved sanitation increases across income levels, while rural areas showed much lower coverage and a larger share Table 6.5: Type of Sanitation System Used by Quintiles Source 1st Quintile 2nd Quintile 3rd Quintile 4th Quintile 5th Quintile Total Total
Underground 7 14 19 28 44 25 Covered drains 4 4 5 5 5 5 Open drain 30 36 42 43 37 38 No System 59 46 34 25 14 33 Urban
Underground 29 42 46 55 67 54 Covered drains 10 8 9 7 6 7 Open drain 38 36 37 33 24 31 No System 22 13 9 5 3 7 Rural
Underground 2 2 3 6 11 4 Covered drains 2 2 3 3 4 3 Open drain 28 36 45 50 55 42 No System 68 60 49 41 30 51
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of households without any system. This reflects ongoing urban–rural disparities in sanitation
facilities (Table 6.5).
Garbage Collection System in Pakistan
The data in Table 7 show that formal garbage collection services in Pakistan are still limited,
particularly in rural areas. At the national level, only 11 percent of households rely on municipal
collection and 9 percent on private services, while around two-thirds (67 percent) dispose of waste
through informal means such as open dumping. Urban areas are far better
served, with 25 percent of households using municipal collection and 18
percent private services, compared to only 2 –3 percent in rural areas.
Among provinces, Punjab and Sindh perform relatively better, with
municipal and private collection systems covering a significant share of
urban households, although rural areas in both provinces still heavily rely
on informal disposal. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, nearly 95 percent of rural households and 41
percent of urban households report using informal methods, showing limited organized waste
management. Balochistan has the weakest coverage overall, where only 1 percent of households
use municipal collection and 81 percent still rely on informal means, reflecting major gaps in
sanitation and waste management infrastructure.
Hygiene
Hygiene refers to the practices and conditions that help maintain health and prevent the spread of diseases through cleanliness and proper sanitation. Among these practices, handwashing with soap is recognized as one of the most effective and affordable measures to prevent infections and promote well-being. It is also a key indicator of the Sustainable Development Goals, specifically SDG 6.2.1(b) — Population with a basic handwashing facility, defined as a device to contain, transport, or regulate the flow of water to enable handwashing with soap and water within the household8. Nationally, the availability of handwashing facilities has improved considerably over time. In 2024–25, 64 percent of households had a specific place for handwashing equipped with both water
8 unstats.un.org/sdgs/metadata/?Text=&Goal=6&Target=6.2
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and soap, compared with 50% in previous round of HIES provincial 2018–19. The share of
households with water only also showed progress (from 51% to 65%), while those with no facility
remained higher in rural areas (19% overall).
Punjab has the highest access to handwashing facili ties with both water and soap, placing
it at the top among all provinces. Balochistan comes next, followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with
moderate access. Sindh remains the lowest, despite some improvements in urban areas, and
continues to face significant gaps in rural access.
Overall, access to handwashing facilities with soap and water has expanded nationwide,
yet urban –rural disparities persist, highlighting the need for targeted hygiene initiatives,
particularly in rural areas (Table 8).
Housing Characteristics
Housing is a fundamental element of human life that provides shelter, security, and
comfort, forming the foundation for physical and mental
well-being. It not only fulfils a basic human necessity but also
serves as a key indicator of socio-economic status and overall
living standards. The characteristics of housing vary
according to economic conditions and regional development,
ranging from simple dwellings with limited facilities to well-
constructed structures equipped with modern am enities and
infrastructure.
In this module of the survey questionnaire, information was collected on key housing
characteristics, including occupancy status and the types of roofs, walls, and floors. Moreover,
data were gathered on the types of fuel used for cooking, heating, and lighting, which provided
valuable insights into household living conditions, energy access, and may help to assess regional
disparities in infrastructure and development.
6.7.1 Household Tenure and Number of Rooms Occupied by Household:
Housing tenure is classified as Owner Occupied, On Rent, Rent Free, or on Subsidized Rent.
Table 9 presents household tenure patterns between 2018 –19 and 2024 –25. Owner -occupied
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dwellings showed a marginal decline, from 84 percent in 2018–19 to 82 percent in 2024–25,
mainly due to a drop in rural Sindh caused by the devastating floods of 2022.
82%
11%
7%
1%
Own house Rent Rent Free Subsidised Rent Urban home ownership increased modestly (from 72 to 74 percent), while rural ownership declined from 91 to 88 percent. Rented dwellings remained around 10 percent, whereas rent-free housing rose from 5 to 7 percent, indicating a gradual shift toward informal or family-based living arrangements.
Figure 6.7: Percentage of Households with Owned Dwelling Units At the provincial level, trends largely mirror the national pattern. Punjab maintained stable ownership at 84 percent across urban and rural areas. Sindh experienced a more noticeable decline in overall home ownership, from 82 to 77 percent, driven primarily by reduced rural ownership due to the 2022 floods, along with rural-to-urban migration and changes in landholding patterns. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa saw a slight decrease in ownership from 86 to 83 percent, along with a small rise in rented dwellings, reflecting urban expansion and growing housing demand. Balochistan recorded the highest ownership rate at 86 percent, though rent-free dwellings increased from 4 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 Punjab sindh KPK Balochistan Pakistan 84 77 83 86 82 11 11 10 6 10 5 11 5 7 7 0 1 1 1 1 Own Rent Free Subsidize Rent
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percent to 7 percent, highlighting greater reliance on extended family and shared housing
arrangements. Graphical representation is shown in Figure 6.7.
Overall, the majority of households in Pakistan continue to live in owner-occupied homes. Renting
is more prevalent in urban centers, while home ownership dominates rural areas. Provincial
differences mainly reflect urbanization levels, population shifts, income patterns, and, notably in
Sindh, the impact of natural disasters such as the 2022 floods.
The percentage of households by number of rooms is categorized as: 1 Room, 2 -4 rooms, and 5
rooms or more. A room is defined as a space enclosed by four walls, with access provided through
a door connecting it to a passageway, another room, or the outdoors.
It is spacious enough for several people to move around and is
designed, furnished, and arranged to support the activities intended to
take place within it. The findings of HIES 2024–25 indicate a modest
improvement in housing conditions at the national level compared to
those of HIES 2018–19. The proportion of one-room dwellings declined from 28 to 25 percent,
while the share of households with two to four rooms increased from 65 to 68 percent, reflecting
a gradual enhancement in overall living space. Detailed results are provided in Table 10.
At the provincial level, Punjab demonstrates noticeable improvement, with one -room dwellings
decreasing (27 to 21 percent) and two to four-room dwellings rising (66 to 72 percent). Sindh also
reflects slight progress, although rural areas continue to report a higher concentration of smaller
dwellings. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the distribution remains largely stable across both rounds,
whereas Balochistan records an increase in single-room dwellings (17 to 24 percent), suggesting
localized housing pressures and limited expansion in residential space.
Overall, the HIES 2024–25 results highlight a gradual improvement in housing adequacy and
space availability across most provinces, except in Balochistan, where housing constraints persist.
Households with 2 –4
rooms increased from
65% to 68%.
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6.7.2 Household Material used for Roof and Walls
Roof and wall materials are classified into structural types such as RCC/RBC, T -R/Garder,
cement sheets, cement blocks, burnt bricks, and traditional materials including wood, bamboo, and
mud. Reinforced materials (RCC/RBC and cement -based
blocks) indicate permanent housing, while non-reinforced
natural materials suggest semi -permanent or temporary
structures. As presented in Table 11, the findings of HIES
2024–25 indicate a gradual improvement in housing
quality at the national level compared with HIES 2018–
19. Nationally, the share of households living in
RCC/RBC-roofed dwellings increased from 33 percent in
2018–19 to 38 percent in 2024–25. The proportion of households using wood or bamboo decreased
notably from 23 to 18 percent , suggesting a shift toward more durable construction materials.
Similarly, a marginal increase was observed in sheet/iron/cement roofing (3 to 6 percent), while
T-R/Girders roofing slightly declined from 40 to 38 percent , indicating minor compositional
adjustments in roofing types.
At the provincial level, Punjab shows an improvement in housing standards, with RCC/RBC
roofing expended from 35 to 41 percent, accompanied by a reduction in wood/bamboo roofs (13
to 8 percent). The share of T-R/Girder roofs declined marginally (50 to 46 percent), reflecting a
gradual transition to more permanent materials. In Sindh, the overall share of RCC/RBC roofs
increased marginally from 32 percent in 2018 –19 to 33 percent in 2024 -25, however urban areas
continue to have significantly highe r coverage (56 percent) compared to rural areas (4 percent).
The use of wood/bamboo roofing decreased from 31 to 27 percent, while sheet/iron/cement roofing
increased slightly, indicating minor improvements in structural durability. In Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa, a marked improvement is observed, with RCC/RBC roofing increasing from 36 to
45 percent, reflecting a substantial enhancement in housing quality. The use of wood/bamboo roofs
dropped from 37 to 27 percent , while sheet/iron/cement roofing remained stable. Balochistan,
however, continues to exhibit limited improvement, as the proportion of RCC/RBC roofs remained
unchanged at 9 percent, and wood/bamboo roofs persist at a high level despite a decline (63 to 54
percent).