Overview
- Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal released preliminary Poverty and Inequality Estimates 2024-25 putting poverty at 28.9%, the highest since 2014.
- Nearly 70 million people now fall below the monthly poverty threshold of Rs8,484, according to the report.
- Rural poverty climbed to 36.2% versus 17.4% in cities, highlighting a widening rural‑urban divide.
- Provincial rates worsened to 23.3% in Punjab, 32.6% in Sindh, 35.3% in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 47% in Balochistan.
- Inequality rose to a Gini of 32.7 as real household income fell 12% to Rs31,127 and unemployment reached 7.1%, a 21‑year high.