World examples · A guide for readers in Pakistan
New provinces.What changes for people?
A new government can change who makes decisions. Whether life improves is a separate question.
A short overview · Seven full country stories below
What the numbers show
Some things improved. Others did not.
These are changes in people’s lives—not a score for each country. The dates and limits matter.
India · Uttarakhand
Infant deaths fell
Deaths per 1,000 live births
17 fewer deaths per 1,000
Both years are after statehood in 2000. This is not proof that the new state caused the fall.[3][4]
Kenya · Mandera
More births had skilled help
Share of births attended by skilled personnel
11% → 38%
County governments began in 2013. Health reporting records the change; it does not isolate the effect of devolution.[10]
Canada · Nunavut
Housing results were mixed
Share of Inuit residents, not all households
Less crowding; more repair needs
1996 is before the territory’s creation; 2006 is after. A new government did not resolve every housing problem.[16]
Keep one distinction in mind: an improvement after a reform does not, by itself, prove it happened because of that reform.
Explore the seven cases
Choose a country. Read the full story.
For more detail, click a country on the map or use the links below. Each story keeps its history, numbers, citizen effects and source notes.
| Country | What changed? | Explore |
|---|---|---|
| India2000 & 2014 | Parts of larger states → new states | Read the full story →Expanded India feature |
| Nigeria1960–1996 | 3 regions → 36 states | Read the full story → |
| Kenya2010 constitution · 2013 elections | Centralised system → 47 elected counties | Read the full story → |
| South Africa1994 | 4 provinces + homelands → 9 provinces | Read the full story → |
| Canada · Nunavut1999 | Part of a territory → its own territory | Read the full story → |
| Switzerland · Jura1979 | Part of Bern → its own canton | Read the full story → |
| Nepal2015 framework · 2017 elections | Unitary system → federal government tiers | Read the full story → |
Different names, different powers: a state, province, county, canton and territory are not automatically the same kind of government.
Questions for Pakistan
Look beyond the new name.
Who is responsible?
Which decisions would move—and which would stay with existing governments?
How would it be paid for?
What happens to revenue, debts, staff and the cost of new offices?
What would citizens notice?
How would services, representation and access be measured before and after?
These histories offer evidence for discussion. They do not settle how many provinces Pakistan should have.
Sources & data notes
Historical observations are labelled with their years. The figures are not a current statistical dashboard. The notes identify original publications and any calculated changes.
- Dhillon, Krishnan, Patnam and Perroni / Ideas for IndiaHow are India’s new states faring? (2 March 2016) ↗
Original researchers’ account. Assembly-constituency night-light data, 1992–2010; comparisons around the 2000 state divisions.
- Government of Uttarakhand, Directorate of Economics and StatisticsUttarakhand at a Glance, 2010–11 ↗
Printed page 3 (PDF page 5): infant mortality, 2009, Sample Registration System. Printed page 1 also records 70 assembly constituencies.
- Government of Uttarakhand, Directorate of Economics and StatisticsUttarakhand at a Glance, 2021–22 ↗
Printed page 6 (PDF page 18): infant mortality, 2020, citing the May 2022 SRS bulletin. Printed page 3: 70 assembly constituencies.
- Government of TelanganaState Profile ↗
Formation on 2 June 2014; Hyderabad as capital; 119 Legislative Assembly members. Historical population values on the page are explicitly census-based, not current estimates.
- Wikipedia, background chronology onlyStates of Nigeria — history ↗
Secondary cross-check for the sequence of regional/state creation. Not used for poverty, service-performance or causal claims.
- United States Library of Congress, Federal Research DivisionCountry Profile: Nigeria (July 2008) ↗
Historical background and institutions, especially printed pages 17–18: governors, assemblies and Senate representation. A historical source, not a 2026 political update.
- Parliament of KenyaThe Constitution of Kenya, 2010 ↗
Chapter Eleven, especially Articles 174, 176–180 and 196; First Schedule (47 counties); Fourth Schedule (county functions).
- Government of Kenya and World BankMaking Devolution Work for Service Delivery in Kenya (2022) ↗
Printed page 16, Figure 2.4: dispensaries. Page 25: Mandera skilled birth attendance. Page 65, Figure 4.3: equitable-share transfers. These are PDF pages 38, 47 and 87 respectively.
- South African History OnlineHeritage and identity of Provinces ↗
Historical account of the four old provinces and the nine-province settlement incorporating the former homelands.
- South African GovernmentSouth Africa’s provinces ↗
Official description of the nine provinces and their institutions.
- Statistics CanadaFrom Nunavut to Newfoundland and Labrador: marking milestones (2024) ↗
Nunavut’s creation on 1 April 1999 and population of 26,745 in 2001 and 36,858 in 2021; geography and historical context.
- Government of NunavutConsensus Government ↗
Explanation of Nunavut as a public government, individual rather than party-based territorial elections, selection of the premier and Inuit guiding principles.
- Nunavut Bureau of StatisticsPopulation and other data by Inuit Identity, 2006 Census (2008 statistical update) ↗
Page 3: Inuit people in Nunavut, 1996–2006. Crowding means more than one person per room. Major-repair figures are also shares of people, not shares of all territorial households.
- Swissvotes, University of BernFederal referendum on the creation of the Canton of Jura, 24 September 1978 ↗
82.29% approval among votes cast; 42.05% turnout. Referendum results, not later income or service outcomes.
- Brigitte Menzi / Swissvotes, University of BernHistorical account of the Jura referendum (2010) ↗
Regional and local votes, continuing disagreements, and expansion of the Council of States from 44 to 46 members. German-language research account.
- World BankSupporting Nepal’s Historic Transition to Federalism (29 September 2020) ↗
2015 constitutional transition, seven provinces, 753 local governments and the need for capacity and intergovernmental coordination.
- Democracy Resource Center NepalNepal’s Local Elections 2017: Final Observation Report (November 2017) ↗
Printed page 32 (PDF page 33): report counts 35,041 elected representatives and 14,339 women; 2% of mayor/chairperson posts held by women. Conclusion: turnout over 74%. Figures are attributed to this report; other compilations may differ.
- Natural EarthPublic-domain map data: terms of use ↗
The locator uses a simplified land outline derived from bundled Natural Earth low-resolution data, with country boundaries dissolved. Markers are approximate reading links, not maps of the reform areas or administrative boundaries.