Pakistan poverty climbs to 28.9 percent, Government data reveal after seven years
Business
Official figures show 70 million Pakistanis living in poverty, with rural areas worst hit. Government blames policy inconsistency, COVID-19 and IMF programs for surge.
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - The Government has released official poverty statistics after a gap of seven years, revealing a significant increase in the number of people living below the poverty line across Pakistan.
According to the data, out of a population of 250 million, nearly 70 million people are now classified as poor. Over the past seven years, the poverty rate has increased by 7.6 percentage points, reaching 28.9 percent. This translates into nearly 18 million additional people falling into poverty during the period.
The report shows a stark rural-urban divide. Poverty in rural areas stands at 36.2 percent, compared to 17.4 percent in urban centers.
Provincial data indicate that Balochistan has the highest poverty rate at 47 percent, followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at 35.3 percent. Sindh’s poverty rate has reached 32.6 percent, while Punjab records 23.3 percent.
The report also notes that economic inequality in Pakistan has climbed to its highest level in history, with the inequality rate rising to 32.7 percent.
Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal attributed the increase in poverty to policy inconsistency, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and programs under the International Monetary Fund (IMF). He stated that the depreciation of the rupee fueled inflation, severely affecting citizens and pushing millions into hardship.
