The data and other information provided until now referred to the situation in Mastung district itself. It was not related to the situation in other districts or to the situation in Balochistan as a whole. To add that perspective, 32 indicators have been selected on which the districts can be compared. These indicators, and others, can be found in the table on the following two pages. Each of the 26 districts in Balochistan can be ranked on each of the indicators. The relative position of Mastung district is given in the diagram on the third page. It is a bottom-up ranking: position nr. 1 reflects the lowest score on the indicator concerned, while position nr. 26 means the highest score. An overall ranking of districts is not given, because that would require attaching a certain weight to every indicator.

About the position of Mastung, the following remarks can be made.

• With its nearly 5.900 square kilometer, Mastung belongs to the group of the smaller districts (it takes the tenth position from the bottom). Its population (estimated at 200,000) scores one poisition higher, which means a population density in the middle category.

• The agricultural production is relatively high (seventh from the top), with about the same position for value of agricultural production per capita and a lower position, near the middle, on production value in absolute terms (comparatively less fruit production than in many of the other districts might be the reason).

• Because there no district specific data for Matung as far as livestock is concerned, no conclusions can be drawn with regard to Mastung’s comparative position. The impression is that expansion of the sector must be sought in more intensive production methods.
• The district belongs to the upper half ss far as enrolment in primary education is concerned, both for boys and for girls. The pupils/teacher ration gives Mastung a better position for boys (nr. 18) than for girls (nr. 12).

• The health care indicators give the district a much better position on the population per doctor ratio (seventh lowest) than on the population per bed ratio (sixth highest). The male/female ratio of medical staff is comparatively favourable: position nr. 3 for paramedical staff and nr. 10 for doctors (so a relatively high percentage of female staff).

• The water supply coverage of the population belongs to the highest in the province (position nr. 23).

• Mastung has the fourth highest density as far as metalled is concerned (length or road per square kilometer), but scores much lower on shingle roads (sicth from the bottom). The fact that three National Highways run through the district explains the high position with regard to black top roads.

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