Govt says World Bank poverty figures reflect regional reclassification
The government on Thursday said that the World Bank’s finding that the country accounts for nearly half of the extreme poor in its newly defined Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan (MENAAP) region partly reflects a change in the lender’s statistical grouping rather than a shift in Pakistan’s geographical or economic classification. Adviser to the Finance Minister Khurram Schehzad…
The government clarified on Thursday that the World Bank's recent finding that Pakistan accounts for nearly half of extreme poverty in its newly defined MENAAP region was due to a change in statistical grouping, not a shift in Pakistan's geographical or economic classification. Adviser Khurram Schehzad explained that this reclassification was purely administrative and did not alter Pakistan's identity as a South Asian country or its income classification.
The World Bank reported that Pakistan accounted for 48% of people living below the $3-a-day poverty line in the MENAAP region in 2024, a significant rise from 10.4% globally. This increase was attributed to a combination of shocks, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2022 floods, high inflation, currency depreciation, and economic adjustment measures that weakened real household incomes and employment opportunities.
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