ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Civil Awards data covering 2,209 recognitions from 2018 to 2026 shows changing award priorities but little movement in women’s overall share.
Annual award lists grew from 73 recipients in 2018 to 372 in 2026. The series peaked at 416 in 2023, excluding a separate cohort of 299 pandemic health workers.
Among Pakistani and overseas-Pakistani recipients, women accounted for roughly 10% to 16% each year. Removing gallantry awards lifted the pooled female share only from about 12% to 14%.
Representation varied sharply by field. Women received two of 126 engineering awards and eight of 345 gallantry awards. Their share reached about 40% in social welfare and nearly one-quarter in arts and culture.
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The gender gap widened at senior levels. Women made up less than 5% of recipients in the two highest Nishan and Hilal tiers, according to the dataset.
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The field mix also shifted. Science and engineering together accounted for 31% of awards in 2021, falling to 2% by 2026. Information technology first appeared separately in 2021, while climate emerged as a category in 2025.
Geographic data was complete for only four years. Across those records, Punjab accounted for 43% of domestic recipients, followed by Sindh at 22% and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at 21%.
