ISLAMABAD : 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.
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.
The more alarming indicator, according to the report, is the intensity of poverty, as each poor person lacks access to half the indicators selected for measuring poverty.
The MPI findings show 60.6% of Pakistan’s population does not have access to cooking fuel, 48.5% do not complete schooling, almost four out of every 10 people (39%) do not have any assets and over 38% of the population lives in a one-room shelter. About one-third population does not have access to health facilities. Among the provinces, multidimensional poverty is the highest in Balochistan and the lowest in Punjab, the most populous province.
{{/usCountry}}The MPI findings show 60.6% of Pakistan’s population does not have access to cooking fuel, 48.5% do not complete schooling, almost four out of every 10 people (39%) do not have any assets and over 38% of the population lives in a one-room shelter. About one-third population does not have access to health facilities. Among the provinces, multidimensional poverty is the highest in Balochistan and the lowest in Punjab, the most populous province.
{{/usCountry}}Planning minister Ahsan Iqbal, who released the report, said poverty came down largely because of the growth in the informal economy.
But he pointed out millions are still left behind.
Four of the five poorest districts are in Balochistan, where the poverty level is alarmingly high. The poorest district is Kila Abdullah with 97% poor population, followed by Harnai (94.2%), Barkhan (93.6%), Sherani (90.6%) and Kohistan in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa with 95.8% poor people.