KARACHI: Only two per cent of women in Pakistan own land, according to a latest survey, highlighting the stark gender gap in land ownership and economic empowerment.

The study, carried out by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), revealed that 67pc of Pakistan’s employed women work in agriculture, yet only 1.5pc of agricultural households are formally recorded as female-headed.

Land ownership remains equally limited, with only about 2pc of ever-married women aged 15-49 owning land alone or jointly, while 97.2 per cent had not inherited land or a house.

According to the study, 99.1pc of women in Sindh do not own land alone or jointly. These barriers are compounded by a significant financial and digital gender gap.

SDPI study finds only 1.5pc of agricultural households formally recorded as female-headed

Conversely, 56pc of men have a full-service financial account compared with just 14pc of women, while mobile-wallet ownership stands at 48pc among men and 11pc among women.

The study says the need for solutions is becoming increasingly urgent as climate risks intensify. Floods in 2022 resulted in more than $30 billion in damage and economic losses, while at least $16.3bn was estimated to be required for resilient reconstruction.

The study said half of the country’s population remains largely unrecognised as active agricultural workers. Strengthe­ning the rural economy, particularly agriculture and livestock, was essential to strengthening broader economy, and partnerships with institutions like Mobilink Bank, with their access to large-scale customer data, were vital to sustaining this line of research.

The SDPI mentioned that women were doing the agricultural work, absorbing climate shocks and already borrowing to survive, yet the formal financial system did not treat them accordingly.

More than nine in 10 women farmers surveyed experienced an extreme climate-related event, including heatwaves, flooding, heavy rainfall or drought-like conditions, over the past five years, while more than 80pc reported crop losses or a negative impact on farming.

Borrowing ranked among the first- or second-most common coping strategies across every district. In Khushab, every woman reporting a coping strategy had borrowed money, while more than half had also sold livestock, potentially undermining future income.

According to the study, in a country ranked among the world’s most climate-vulnerable, this is not a peripheral issue; it sits at the heart of Pakistan’s agricultural resilience. The exclusion is structural, built into products designed around land ownership, individual mobility and digital access, none of which reflect the reality of women farmers.

The findings of the study point to an urgent need for more inclusive, climate-responsive financial solutions that can help women farmers protect livelihoods, recover faster and build greater resilience.

The study moves beyond diagnosis to propose a practical framework for designing gender-responsive climate finance, with implications for financial institutions, regulators, development finance institutions and development partners.

Published in Dawn, September 6th, 2026