UN Agency Announces Shocking Poverty Rate of Pakistan

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has revealed a staggering poverty rate in Pakistan, with more than one-third of the country's population living in multidimensional poverty. This figure, as per the UNDP's latest Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), is 38.3 percent, significantly higher than rates observed in neighboring India (16.4 percent) and Bangladesh (14.9 percent).

However, it should be noted that these figures are derived from disparate household surveys conducted at different times, precluding a direct comparison.

The UNDP report underscores the intensity of deprivation among Pakistanis classified as multidimensionally poor, which is a substantial 51.7 percent. Additionally, another 12.9 percent of the population is vulnerable to such deprivation. This methodology diverges from income-based measures, instead evaluating overlapping disadvantages in critical areas such as nutrition, child mortality, educational attainment, sanitation, access to drinking water, electricity, housing conditions, and household assets.

The UNDP's global assessment indicates a concerning global trend, with the number of people enduring multidimensional poverty rising for the first time in fifteen years. This surge brings the total to 1.2 billion, representing a 51.5 million increase over the previous assessment. Alarmingly, nearly half of those affected are children, totaling 617 million.

Of these, a significant 83 percent reside in rural areas. South Asia bears a disproportionate burden, contributing to nearly one-third of global deprivation in terms of nutrition, housing, and years spent in schooling. Notably, the region also hosts 150 million impoverished individuals residing in households where a school-aged child is not enrolled in school.

The UNDP's analysis attributes 36.3 percent of regional multidimensional poverty to living standards, 33.7 percent to education, and 29.9 percent to health.