‘End of Year Survey’ by Gallup highlights stark contrast in mood across South Asia
Pakistani Rangers and Indian Border Security Force officers at the joint Pakistan-India check post at the Wagah border near Lahore. Photo: Reuters
A new survey has revealed that Pakistanis have entered 2026 with significantly higher expectations for economic prosperity and global peace compared to their neighbors in India, defying global trends of pessimism.
The ‘End of Year Survey’ by the Gallup International Association highlights a stark contrast in mood across South Asia. While India shows higher overall hopes for the new year, Pakistan outperforms its eastern neighbor on key measures of economic confidence and expectations for a more peaceful world.
Financial outlook
On the specific issue of economic prosperity, Pakistan stands out regionally. The survey found that 53% of Pakistani respondents believe that 2026 will bring economic prosperity, compared to just 39% in India. This confidence is particularly notable against the global backdrop, where the world average for economic optimism is only 24%.
The study also examined the ‘net score’ by subtracting pessimists from optimists.
In Pakistan, the hopeful outnumber the fearful by 26 percentage points, while the lead in India is much smaller, with optimists outnumbering pessimists by only 13 points.
“Economic sentiment in Pakistan is significantly stronger than both the global average and India despite widespread global economic pessimism,” the report said.
Hope for peace
Pakistan’s optimism extends beyond the economy to global stability. The survey found that 52% of Pakistanis expect the world to be more peaceful by 2026, a stark contrast to just 26% of Indian respondents. While Pakistan remains firmly in positive territory (+31%), India slips into the negative, with pessimists outnumbering optimists by 9 points.
General hope
Despite Pakistan’s lead in economic and peace metrics, India retains a stronger sense of general hope for the coming year.
When asked if 2026 would be ‘better’ than 2025, 59% of Indians said yes, compared to 51% of Pakistanis. However, Pakistan’s optimism still exceeds the global average of 37%, reflecting a robust outlook.
Drivers of optimism
That increase in Pakistani optimism is largely driven by younger demographics. Optimism is most concentrated among the 18-34-year-olds, while older age groups expressed more caution about the coming year.
The report noted that this year’s numbers represent one of the highest recorded levels of optimism since tracking began in 1994, compared with peaks seen in the late 1990s and mid-2010s.
