The Provincial Human Security Index Table 16.3 highlights the following: i. There are significant differences in the HDI of the four Provinces. While the two more developed provinces, Sindh and Punjab, are close to each other, the two smaller provinces are relatively underdeveloped, especially Balochistan. ii. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has shown a faster rate of improvement and is beginning to catch up. However, Balochistan is falling further behind. There is a need to find the indicators in which it is more backward. Turning to the HSI, the first key indicator is the level of per capita income of each Province, shown in Chart 16.1. This is the first-time regional disparities have been estimated in the context of Pakistan after the late 90s. Chart 16.1: Per Capita Gross Regional Income by Province, 2020-21 (Rs in‘000) The estimated national average per capita income is Rs 264,000. Therefore, three provinces are below the national average, as shown below, while Sindh has a significantly higher per capita income. Province Punjab Sindh Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Balochistan % Deviation from National Average -4.2 23.9 -21.6 -31.4 This confirms the existence of major regional disparities in Pakistan. 139