The main objective of the series of District Profiles is to provide district specific information on a wide range of social and economic subjects. The collection of data on each of the 26 districts makes it however possible to make comparisons among them and to compare the situation in a district to the situation in Balochistan as a whole. This brief chapter gives attention to this aspect. To add this perspective 32 indicators have been selected covering social and economic issues. These indicators, and others, can be found on the next two pages. Each of the districts can be ranked on each of the indicators. The relative position of Killa Saifullah district is reflected in the diagram on page 75. It is a bottom-up ranking: position number 1 means that the district has the lowest score on that particular indicator, while position number 26 implies the highest score. An overall ranking of districts is not given, because that would mean attaching a certain weight to every indicator.

As far as Killa Saifullah district is concerned, the following observations can be made:

• The area, although still not known exactly, the size of the population and the population density of Killa Saifullah all put the district more or less in the middle category (positions # 17, 12 and 10 respectively). The density is about the same as the density in the province as a whole.

• Also with regard to the cultivable area the district takes a position in the middle. The comparatively high fruit production, known as a high value crop, makes that the per capita value of the agricultural production is the second highest in the province, after Ziarat.

• There are no reliable livestock statistics available on Killa Saifullah. Comparative statements are therefore difficult to make. The high percentage of range land of the total geographical area and the available information on the number of livestock units suggest that the sector can be expanded.

• The enrolment figures for boys and girls in primary education put the district in the middle of the rankings. But in terms of pupils/teacher ratio Killa Saifullah is comparatively well off, especially for girls (position # 4).

• With two hospitals (in Killa Saifullah and Muslim Bagh towns), the population per bed and population per doctor indicators belong to the middle rankings. The relatively high M/F ratios among doctors and paramedical staff indicate that availability of health care for women is a priority issue in the district.

• The water supply coverage puts the district in the upper half of the rankings.

• Although the district has a relatively great length of national highway within its borders, the density of metalled roads (length of road per square kilometre) gives it position number 11. The situation for shingle roads is much worse: the district has the lowest density of shingle roads in the whole of Balochistan. The density in the district with the top position with regard to shingle roads (Pishin) is 11 times higher.