Poverty in Pakistan rises to 28.8%

Ahead of the arrival of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) review mission, alarming new estimates have revealed a sharp rise in poverty levels in Pakistan.

According to the latest assessments, poverty in the country has increased significantly over the past six years, with 28.8 per cent of the population living below the poverty line in the financial year 2024–25.

Official data shows that the poverty rate stood at 21.9 per cent in 2018–19. However, over the subsequent six-year period, it has risen by nearly 6.9 percentage points, reflecting worsening economic conditions.

Estimates based on the most recent 2024–25 survey indicate that poverty has now reached 28.8 per cent nationwide.

The upward trend has also been observed at the provincial level, with Punjab and Sindh among the worst-affected regions.

Senior government sources told The News that the surge in poverty has been driven by multiple factors, including three IMF stabilisation programmes over the past six years, the economic fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic, global commodity super-cycles, persistently high inflation, low GDP growth rates, two episodes of devastating floods, and the withdrawal of wheat support prices.