Indians are richer than Pakistanis, but Pakistanis are happier than Indians

Do you know that Pakistanis are happier than Indians? I am referring to the World Happiness Index 2025, in which Pakistan holds the 109th position and India ranks 118th. On the other hand, UNDP’s Human Development Report ranked Pakistan 164th and India 132nd. Bangladesh is better with the 130th number. This shows that Indians are richer than Pakistanis because their economy is bigger and, better yet, they are unhappier than Pakistanis. It proves that economic growth alone does not guarantee happiness.

Interestingly, Pakistanis are more generous than Indians. Generosity scores indicate that 39.2% of Pakistanis and 35.5% of Indians donate to charities every month. Generosity is also a sign of happiness. Pakistanis are happier than Indians for many reasons. The majority of Pakistanis are happy these days because Pakistan defeated India during a four-day war in May 2025. Despite this victory, many Pakistanis are raising a question: if they can beat India, why has Pakistan failed to defeat poverty, corruption and bad governance?

This is a very important question. Pakistanis need to think about the answer to this question because if they don’t have an answer, then they don’t need any external enemy to destroy Pakistan.

Pakistanis celebrated victory in a military war over India for many days. The Government of Pakistan is now celebrating that victory again on the coming Independence Day.

Why are Pakistanis celebrating victory over India? According to the government, there is no doubt that Pakistan shot down six Indian fighter jets, including four Rafales, on May 7th. India failed to shoot down a single Pakistani fighter jet.

India was defeated not only on the military front but also on the diplomatic front. New Delhi tried to isolate Islamabad through a diplomatic offence but miserably failed. India failed to provide any evidence against Pakistan for its involvement in the Pahalgam terror attack. Pakistan exposed the involvement of India in terror attacks in Balochistan at many international forums. After these military and diplomatic victories, Pakistan needs to defeat India on some other fronts.

I personally don’t believe in a comparison between India and Pakistan. No doubt that both countries are nuclear powers, but there is a big difference in the size of their population and economy. India should be compared with China or Russia, but they always compare themselves with Pakistan.

This is their arrogance, but Pakistanis must see the arrogance of Indians as a challenge for them. Pakistanis can meet all challenges by accepting their mistakes and by identifying their weak areas.

Poverty is a common enemy of India and Pakistan. India has made significantly more progress in poverty alleviation than Pakistan in recent years, with a substantial decrease in extreme poverty rates and large numbers of people lifted out of poverty. According to the World Bank data, India’s extreme poverty rate has fallen from 27.1% in 2011-12 to 5.3% in 2022-23. Pakistan has seen an increase in its extreme poverty rate, with nearly 45% of the population living in poverty. If Pakistan can defeat India militarily, then Pakistan should also compete with India in poverty alleviation.

Now, come to the literacy rate and education. India’s overall literacy rate is around 76%, while Pakistan’s literacy rate is around 60%. Government spending on education in India is 3.17% and in Pakistan, it is 2.17%. Health care is also better in India than in Pakistan. Can Pakistan defeat India in the education and health care sectors? Yes. Pakistanis only need some reforms. I am a witness to these reforms recently introduced in many government-owned schools and colleges in Islamabad. Within months, the students started leaving English-medium private schools and enrolling in the government schools. This is not enough. Reforms in the social sector are linked with reforms in democratic institutions.

Pakistan and India claim to be democratic countries. Democracy Index 2025, prepared by The Economist, tells us a very interesting story. There is a huge difference between India and Pakistan. Out of 167 countries in the list, Pakistan is ranked 124th as an authoritarian state, and India is ranked 41st and categorised as a flawed democracy. Pakistan is included in the top 10 worst performers. It is a matter of shame because Pakistan was created by Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah through a peaceful democratic struggle.

The Pakistani judiciary does not enjoy a good reputation. According to the World Justice Project 2024, Pakistan ranked 129th and India ranked 79th across 142 countries.

In the Corruption Index 2024, prepared by Transparency International, Pakistan is at 135th place and India is at 96th out of 180 countries.

The Global Governance Index 2024 ranked Pakistan 161 and India 118 out of 191 countries.

The World Press Freedom Index 2025 ranked Pakistan at 158 and India at 151. In 2024, Pakistan was at 152 and India was at 159. Why did India improve and Pakistan fall down on the Press Freedom Index? The problem is that Pakistani media is facing unannounced censorship. Prominent TV anchors like Kashif Abbasi, Sami Ibrahim, Arif Hameed Bhatti, Samina Pasha, Paras Jahanzeb and some others are missing from TV screens. Nobody knows why they were off-air? Some anchors left Pakistan, and those who are still working in Pakistan are not sure about their future.

Pakistan is a victim of cross-border terrorism, which is why India ranks better on the Global Peace Index 2025 than Pakistan. India is placed at number 115th and Pakistan is at number 144th.

Data tells us that Pakistan is at the bottom of the Global Peace Index, but data also says Pakistanis are happier than Indians. Pakistanis can improve their position in the Global Peace Index through political stability. It is interesting to note that Pakistan has had 28 prime ministers in the last 78 years. Out of 78 years, four military dictators ruled Pakistan for 33 years. It means that 28 prime ministers ruled for just 45 years in Pakistan. Out of 28, eight premiers were caretakers. It is shameful that no elected prime minister of Pakistan has completed his or her term.

India has had 15 prime ministers in the last 78 years. There was no Martial Law in India. It is political stability that has actually given economic stability to India.

Pakistan had 17 army chiefs and India had 32 since 1947. No army chief ever got an extension in India. The first military dictator of Pakistan, General Ayub Khan, was given three extensions between 1951 and 1958. He imposed Martial Law after getting a third extension in 1958. General Zia ul Haq and General Pervez Musharraf also ruled Pakistan with extensions. Military dictators suspended and abrogated the Constitution of Pakistan again and again. Pakistanis can only defeat India at all other fronts by establishing the supremacy of their Constitution.

India has adopted only one constitution since 1947. Pakistan has tested three constitutions since 1947. The last Constitution of Pakistan was adopted in 1973, and even this Constitution has been abrogated and suspended many times. The 1973 Constitution was restored again and again through political struggle. It is the only consensus document left in Pakistan. Supremacy of this Constitution is the solution to all the problems faced by Pakistan today. If Pakistanis cannot establish the writ of their Constitution, they cannot defeat poverty, corruption and bad governance.

The writer is a senior journalist, anchor, and columnist, associated with Geo News. He posts on X@HamidMirPAK