ISLAMABAD : Mishal Pakistan, the Country Partner Institute of the World Economic Forum (WEF), has announced the launch of the Executive Opinion Survey (EOS) 2026 in Pakistan. The survey will be conducted from March to May 2026 and will gather perception-based insights from Pakistan’s business leaders regarding the country’s economic environment, governance, competitiveness, and institutional performance.
The survey is being implemented in Pakistan by Mishal Pakistan in its capacity as the official Country Partner Institute of the World Economic Forum, responsible for coordinating the survey process, outreach to the business community, and ensuring the quality and integrity of the national dataset, stated in a press release.
First launched by the World Economic Forum in 1979, the Executive Opinion Survey is conducted annually in more than 150 economies and collects responses from approximately 15,000 senior business executives worldwide each year. It is widely regarded as one of the most comprehensive global perception surveys on the business environment, capturing insights that often cannot be measured through traditional statistical indicators.
The survey includes over 80 questions covering key pillars of national competitiveness, including institutional quality, corruption, judicial independence, infrastructure, macroeconomic stability, innovation capability, labor markets, financial systems, gender equality, and business dynamism. Executives assess these areas based on their real-world experience of operating in their respective economies. Commenting on the launch of the survey, Amir Jahangir, Chief Executive Officer of Mishal Pakistan, said “This year’s Executive Opinion Survey is particularly significant for Pakistan. The country is undergoing a period of economic recalibration, institutional reforms, and policy adjustments aimed at strengthening competitiveness and governance. Capturing the perceptions of business leaders during this phase is essential.
These insights help global institutions understand the realities of Pakistan’s business environment and ensure that the country’s reform trajectory and economic potential are accurately reflected in international datasets.” Data from the Executive Opinion Survey (EOS) feeds into several major global reports and analytical publications produced by the World Economic Forum and other international institutions. The survey findings contribute to the development of influential global assessments including the Global Competitiveness Report, Global Risks Report, Global Gender Gap Report, Travel & Tourism Development Index, Future of Jobs Report, and the Global Growth Report. In addition, elements of the perception data collected through the EOS are also used by other organizations in global benchmarking exercises, such as the Corruption Perceptions Index Report, helping policymakers, researchers, and investors better understand governance quality, economic competitiveness, and institutional performance across countries.
Beyond the World Economic Forum, the survey dataset is widely used by international organizations, research institutions, and academic bodies for governance and economic analysis. Institutions that draw upon EOS data include the World Bank, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and Transparency International. Leading research organizations and think tanks such as the Brookings Institution, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Chatham House, and various universities also rely on EOS data for economic and governance research. In Pakistan, Mishal Pakistan will conduct the survey through a structured sampling framework covering key sectors of the economy, including agriculture, manufacturing, services, finance, technology, energy, and infrastructure. Responses will be collected from senior executives, including CEOs, senior management professionals, and industry leaders with direct experience of the country’s business environment.
The survey is designed to ensure balanced representation across provinces, economic sectors, and company sizes, incorporating perspectives from both large corporations and small and medium enterprises. All responses are treated with strict confidentiality and are anonymized to encourage honest and candid feedback from participants. The respondent pool reflects the structure of Pakistan’s economy, with approximately 50.76% from the services sector, 21.33% from agriculture, 12.60% from manufacturing, and 15.31% from the non-manufacturing sector, broadly aligning with each sector’s relative contribution to national GDP.
The survey findings will be submitted to the World Economic Forum later in 2026 and will contribute to global comparative analyses that shape international understanding of economic competitiveness, investment climates, and institutional quality. Through the implementation of the Executive Opinion Survey, Mishal Pakistan aims to ensure that Pakistan’s economic narrative and the perspectives of its business community are represented in global policy and competitiveness debates.
Mishal Pakistan is the Country Partner Institute of the World Economic Forum and works to strengthen Pakistan’s competitiveness and policy dialogue through research, stakeholder engagement, and international collaboration.
