ISLAMABAD - Over the last decade, Pakistan’s poverty headcount has witnessed a persistent decline both at national and regional levels, reducing from 50.4 percent in 2005-06 to 24.3 percent in 2015-16.
Poverty in both rural and urban areas has also been on the declining trend with poverty headcount of 12.5 percent in urban and 30.7 percent in rural areas in 2015-16.
Targeted poverty reduction programmes like Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), relative political stability and strong recovery from low Gross Development Product (GDP) growth rate of 0.4 percent in 2008-09 to 4.5 percent in 2015-16 are some of the important reasons that can be attributed to decline in the poverty headcount.
The poverty ratio was reduced from 50.4 percent in 2005-06 to 44.1 percent in 2007-08, followed by 36.8 percent in 2010-11, 36.3 percent in 2011-12, 29.5 percent in 2013-14 and 24.3 percent in 2015-16, official sources told APP.
Vision 2025 has also recognised that poverty is indeed a multidimensional phenomenon, encompassing not only monetary deprivations but also the inaccessibility of healthcare, education and other amenities of life, they said.
Responding to the requirement, Planning Commission started using Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) to discern the nature and extent of deprivations in all its dimensions. This will help in provision of an indicator for inclusive and balanced socioeconomic development and it is a demand arising from commitment to Sustainable Development Goals, they informed.
