Islamabad, A recent analysis by Gallup Pakistan, focusing on the occupations of candidates who stood for elections in 2018, has found that a significant portion of them classified themselves as being in business. This analysis is part of Gallup Pakistan’s ongoing Big Data Analysis initiative and utilizes data from the ‘ECP Nomination Papers 2018.’

According to Gallup Pakistan, the Big Data Analysis Series, led by Bilal I Gilani, Executive Director of Gallup Pakistan, aims to make extensive national data sets accessible and usable for academic and policy-making purposes. This series has previously worked with various data sets, including PSLM, Labour Force Survey, Economic Survey reports, National Census Reports, and Election Commission Data sets.

Key findings from the current edition, which focuses on the occupation of candidates in the 2018 elections, include:

1. Nationally, 36% of all candidates classified their occupation as working in some form of business, making it the most prevalent occupation among those who contested the elections.

2. Agriculture was the second most common occupation, accounting for 24% of the candidates.

3. Only 4% of the candidates identified themselves primarily as politicians.

4. A provincial breakdown showed that business was the most common occupation in almost all provinces, followed by agriculture. In Balochistan, however, agriculture was more prevalent than business.

These findings provide valuable insights into the socio-economic backgrounds of political candidates in Pakistan and suggest a strong representation of the business sector in the political arena. The implications of these data points for the development sector, as well as their wider socio-political ramifications, are significant and are expected to stimulate discussion in relevant circles.