11/18/2018

PAKISTAN : POVERTY RATE FALLS


HEADCOUNT poverty in Pakistan has decreased 35 percent points from......... 64.3 %  to  29.5% between the years 2001 - 2002  and  2013-14, said a World Bank Report on  ''The state of water-supply, sanitation and poverty in Pakistan and its impact on child stunting.''

According to the report KPK province which started out as the poorest of the four provinces in 2001-02, ended the period as its second richest province, closing its 13 percentage point gap with Punjab, the richest province in the country.

The provincial poverty rates in 2013-14 were 34.2% for Sindh, 27% for KPK and 25% for Punjab while Balochistan with 56.8% poverty rate remained the poorest province, says the report.

The decline in poverty rate in Balochistan was smaller - less than 15 percentage points - and more volatile because of challenges of remoteness, low connectivity, a semi-nomadic population and internal conflicts, says the report, adding that in line with the decline in poverty, a number of other well well-being indicators also improved.

Meanwhile, as poverty declined in the country, a number of well-being indicators improved as the share of the household budget allocated allocated to non-food items rose, food consumption patterns shifted toward a more diverse and expensive diet, and asset ownership grew.

According to the World Bank report , the shares of  non-food  expenditure for the bottom quantile grew to 46% by 26% by 2014 as consumption of nutrient rich foods like meat, fish, eggs, dairy, fruits and vegetable also increased.

While the share of cereals, which provide the cheapest calories but are low in nutrition, declined from 33% to  29%. AFP.

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