Overview
- About 70 million people now live below a monthly basic-needs floor of Rs8,484, according to the FY2024-25 Household Integrated Economic Survey.
- Rural poverty rose to 36.2% versus 17.4% in urban areas, with Balochistan near 47% and increases recorded across Punjab, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
- The Gini index climbed to roughly 32.7, the highest since 1998, while unemployment reached 7.1%, the worst in 21 years.
- Real household income in 2024-25 is about 13% below 2015-16 levels and real consumption is down roughly 8%, with reported real monthly income sliding from Rs35,454 in 2019 to Rs31,127.
- Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said social protection alone cannot reverse the trend, urging job creation and a recovery in real incomes alongside stabilization measures.