Four out of 10 Pakistanis live in acute poverty: Report

Four out of 10 Pakistanis are living in acute poverty, with the population of strife-ridden Balochistan province faring the worst, according to the country’s first report on multidimensional poverty.

Four out of 10 Pakistanis are living in acute poverty, with the population of strife-ridden Balochistan province faring the worst, according to the country’s first official report on multidimensional poverty.

File photo shows Pakistani women carrying firewood on their heads as they walk in a village near Sharda in the mountainous region of Neelum Valley. (AFP)

The report unveiled by the government details the country’s official Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), which shows a sharp decline in national poverty rates from 55 % in 2004 to 39% in 2015.

Rather than income and wealth alone, the MPI uses broader measures to determine poverty based on access to healthcare, education and the overall standard of living, thus giving a more detailed understanding of poverty.

The report states 38.8% of Pakistan’s population lives in poverty. A majority of the rural population (54.6%) lives in acute poverty, while this ratio is only 9.4% in urban areas.