A vast majority of Pakistanis have described doing business in the country as difficult and demanded additional legislation to provide protection to enterprises. This was revealed in a National Citizen Survey conducted by the Institute for Public Opinion Research (IPOR), with the participation of more than 5,000 people from across the country between August 23 and September 5, 2026.
When asked whether doing business in Pakistan was easy, 91 percent of respondents said it was difficult, while 7 percent considered it easy and 2 percent chose not to respond. Regarding the primary problems faced by businesses, 46 percent described the country's tax system as complicated, 19 percent cited a lack of access to loans or financial resources, 12 percent pointed to corruption and bribery, 10 percent highlighted rising electricity and energy costs, 7 percent blamed burdensome government regulations, and 2 percent attributed their difficulties to political instability.
Asked whether additional legislation was needed to protect businesses, 76 percent of respondents supported the proposal unconditionally, while 10 percent supported it to some extent and 8 percent deemed existing laws sufficient. Furthermore, 66 percent of Pakistanis expressed grave concern over the country's growing debt burden, compared to 5 percent who viewed the situation as encouraging.
The survey also gauged public sentiment regarding the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme, revealing that 30 percent considered it harmful for economic stability and 19 percent deemed it beneficial. However, 38 percent maintained that the IMF programme offered no tangible relief or benefit to ordinary citizens.