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.
