- More than 107 million Pakistnis live below the poverty line.
- More than 39m included in the category of extreme poverty.
- The new figures reflect the updated international thresholds.
Islamabad: now it is considered that the considerable population of 44.7% of the population of Pakistan lives below the recently updated international poverty line of the World Bank, established in $ 4.20 per person per day.
This figure occurs when the World Bank carries out a routine global review of its poverty thresholds to take into account evolution prices and new data.
As a lower average income country, the new Pakistan poverty statistics also reveal that the extreme poverty line, now $ 3 per person per day, affects 16.5% of the population, a substantial increase of 4.9% under the previous $ 2.15. In addition, the high intermediate income poverty line, established at $ 8.30 per person per day, covers a vast 88.4% of the country’s population.
According to the new poverty threshold, the more than 107.95 million people in Pakistan live below the poverty line for winning less than RS1,200 per day. While, more than 39.8 million people in the country are included in the category of extreme poverty, sources said.
These updated international poverty lines are derived from the 2021 purchase power parity parity data provided by the International Comparison Program (ICP). The World Bank clarifies that this guarantees that poverty estimates remain precise and comparable between nations, with the methodology consisting of the updates initiated in 1990.
“Reviews help position Pakistan’s poverty levels in a global context and underline the importance of continuous efforts to reduce vulnerability and improve resilience,” said the world bank director of the World Bank for Pakistan Najy Benhassine. “The new figures reflect the updated international thresholds and the improved data of other countries, not a deterioration in the standard of living.”
While these international lines are crucial for the monitoring of global progress and comparisons through the country, the national poverty line for Pakistan remains unchanged. Continues to serve as the main national reference point for the policy and guidance of the program within the country. The underlying data of the Household and Expenses Survey (HIES) 2018/19, which report national and international estimates, also remain consistent.
Updated figures are part of the world’s world poverty of the 2025 update of the World Bank, an initiative aimed at improving the precision and relevance of global poverty evaluations. It is expected that an upcoming evaluation of poverty, equity and resilience of the World Bank for Pakistan will offer a more detailed context for these updated estimates, providing an exhaustive analysis of poverty, inequality and non -monetary results, together with the key driver of poverty and an advanced aspect agenda for the prosperity of promotion and resilience for all Pakistanis.
