82% Pakistani internet users experienced service slowdowns in August 2024: Gallup Pakistan Survey

ISLAMABAD, Sep 14 (SABAH): According to the Survey conducted by Gallup Pakistan, 82% Pakistani internet users experienced service slowdowns in August 2024. According to the survey, 84 percent urban residents were affected by this disruption, while 80 percent of rural residents were affected.

According to the survey, 50 percent of the respondents were internet used, constituting roughly 55 million Pakistani adults.

According to the survey, only 1 percent of internet users provide freelancing services abroad. Urban residents were more likely 2% to be freelancing for international clients, as compared to rural residents 1%.

According to the Gallup Survey, amongst freelances, the biggest proportion were those who were working as: 47 percent online working/online product selling/Amazon, 15 percent Fiverr Export/freelancing, 10 percent Teaching, 10 percent Web Designing, 9 percent Marketing, 5 percent Gamming, 2 percent Essay Writing and 2 percent Graphic Designing.
The online platforms that freelancers are registered with included, 41 percent Fiverr, 20 percent Upwork, 7 percent linkedIn and 3 percent Rozee.pk.

The survey was conducted between August 19, 2024 to September 1, 2024.

Gallup Pakistan has conducted a comprehensive study on internet usage and service disruptions across the country. The survey, conducted with a diverse and representative sample of the Pakistani population, reveals usage statistics across different demographics, and highlights the challenges faced by users—especially freelancers—due to disruptions in internet services in the country.

The internet remains a crucial link between Pakistan and the rest of the world, and service disruptions causes sectoral difficulties across the nation. The internet disruptions during the first half of August were concerning for both individuals and organizations as they found themselves disconnected globally. This study focuses on the internet slowdown experienced during the first half of August, which the governmental body P@SHA claimed could cost the economy around $300 million[1]. Conducting this study underscores the wide usage of the internet among Pakistani citizens, a large majority of whom experienced this slowdown in internet services. Although freelancers constitute a small proportion of these users, they are nevertheless an important and growing part of Pakistan’s economy and must be supported with stable internet connections, as should the rest of Pakistan’s internet users.

Gallup Pakistan has compiled a comprehensive report on internet usage and service disruptions across the country. This report is based on survey data that was conducted with a diverse and representative sample of the Pakistani population. It reveals usage statistics across different demographics, and highlights the challenges faced by users—especially freelancers—due to disruptions in internet services in the country.