In 1984, the ESCAP secretariat, with financial support from the UN Fund for Population Activities, initiated the project ANALYSIS OF TRENDS AND PATTERNS OF MORTALITY IN THE ESCAP REGION. The 1st expert meeting under the project was held at Bangkok in November 1984. This report covers the levels and trends of mortality, and mortality and causes of death in Pakistan. It also discusses health services in Pakistan, recent health policies and implementation, primary health care, nutrition, manpower and training, health expenditures, private sector health services, and the past performance and future prospects of health services. Data were obtained from 3 national demographic surveys. The crude death rate in Pakistan is estimated to be around 14-15/1000 for the late 1970s, while the infant mortality rate is 125-130 for the years 1971-1981. Estimated life expectancy at birth for 1976-1979 is 56. Rural areas recorded higher crude death rates with urban-rural differences widening over time. Province-wide differentials in crude death rates indicate higher overall rates for Punjab and the North West Frontier Province followed by Sind and Baluchistan. Infant mortality for males tends to remain higher at all levels and the gap between the sexes on a national level continues to widen owing to a greater decline of female mortality. Infant mortality rates in the 4 provinces of Pakistan do not show any systematic variation. Data indicate higher overall infant mortality rates for Punjab followed by NWFP and Baluchistan; Sind has the lowest mortality rate. This does not seem to correspond in any way to the relative socioeconomic status of the provinces. Demographic variables such as mother's age, preceding birth interval, and birth order have been found to be important correlates of infant mortality. Parental education, however, reflects a negative association with mortality; the bivariate finding holds only for the higher level of education in multiple regression and calls for a deeper investigation. Household income and the survival probability of infants appear to be negatively associated. The results hold for both rural and urban areas. When household income, parental education, and demographic variables are held constant, the social status of the head of the household is related to infant mortality.