Tier 3 URAAN Centre to steer Pakistan’s leap toward $1tr economy

July 03, 2025 (MLN): URAAN Pakistan Data Centre, a Tier 3 facility equipped to deliver granular data from the national to household level, is emerging as the backbone of Pakistan’s strategy to transform into a $1 trillion economy by 2035.

During a visit to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), Federal Minister for Planning, Development & Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal underscored that detailed, disaggregated data from URAAN will now drive all planning, implementation, and monitoring activities under government initiatives.

“This data-centric approach is critical to achieving our ambitious $1 trillion economy target,” Iqbal said. “Data is the fuel of decision-making in a modern economy, and thanks to the URAAN Pakistan Data Centre, we now have the foundation for modern, transparent governance.”

Chief Statistician Naeem uz Zafar briefed the Minister on the centre’s advanced capabilities, noting its over 700 terabytes of storage, high-end computing infrastructure, and disaster recovery site in Lahore that together meet international standards and secure Pakistan’s data needs for the next decade.

The system integrates data on demographics, economic indicators, trade, social sectors, and governance, down to the constituency level. This, officials said, will help elected representatives track development in their areas, fostering healthy competition centered on economic progress.

Minister Iqbal also directed PBS to tailor future data collection to the requirements of the private sector, chambers of commerce, researchers, and academia. “This will help us tackle critical challenges like energy, exports, food security, and youth employment with precision planning and ultimate transparency,” he added.

The initiative signals a strategic pivot by Pakistan to harness data-driven governance as it works to elevate growth and improve decision-making across key sectors.

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