Majority of Pakistanis optimistic about economic improvement in 2026

More than 50% of people in Pakistan believe the coming year will bring positive change and expect the country's economic conditions to improve.

These findings come from a Gallup Pakistan survey conducted with a sample of 1,000 respondents nationwide. The survey was part of a wider study carried out across 60 countries, including Pakistan, The News reported.

In response to the question, “Will the new year be better than 2025?”, 51% of Pakistanis expressed hope for improvement and said conditions would get better.

It added that 20%said the situation would worsen, 10% believed conditions would remain the same as last year, and 19% gave no response.

According to Gallup Pakistan, Pakistanis hoping for improvement in 2026 have surpassed the global average. At the global level, 37% expressed optimism, while in Pakistan, this figure stood at 51% for the New Year.

When asked about improvements in the country’s economic conditions, 53% said the economy would improve further, while 27% expressed concern about difficulties.

According to the survey, 10% said there would be no change, and another 10% did not respond. The survey also found that 52% of Pakistanis are hopeful for global peace in the New Year, believing the world will be more peaceful in 2026 compared to 2025. In contrast, 21% expressed pessimism, saying they see increasing turmoil in the world.

It added that 19% believed there would be no change, while 8% did not respond.

According to the survey, the proportion of Pakistanis dreaming of a more peaceful world is twice as high as that in India and the global average.