Poverty in Pakistan

Poverty in Pakistan is a growing concern. Although the middle-class has grown in Pakistan, nearly one-quarter of the population is classified poor as of October 2006. The declining trend in poverty as seen in the country during the 1970s and 1980s was reversed in the 1990s by poor federal policies and rampant corruption. This phenomenon has been referred to as the poverty bomb. The government of Pakistan with help from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has prepared an Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper that suggests guidelines to reduce poverty in the country.


As of 2006, Pakistan's Human Development Index (HDI) is 0.539, higher than that of nearby Bangladesh's 0.530, which was formerly a part of the country itself. Pakistan's HDI still stands lower than that of neighbouring India's at 0.611.
Incidences of poverty in Pakistan rose from 22–26% in the fiscal year 1991 to 32–35% in the fiscal year 1999. They have subsequently fallen to 25–26% according to the reports of the World Bank and the UN Development Program reports. These reports contradict the claims made by the Government of Pakistan that the poverty rates are only 23.1%.


According to estimates by international NGO's, 74% of Pakistan's population, or 122 million people, live under $2 a day, compared to 72.2% for Sub-Saharan Africa., and some 15%, or 30 million people live under $1 a day. Wealth Distribution in Pakistan is highly uneven, with 10% of the population earning 27.6% of income.


According to the United Nations Human Development Report, Pakistan's human development indicators, especially those for women, fall significantly below those of countries with comparable levels of per-capita income.40% of the population has no access to safe drinking water, and 50% has no access to sanitation. Pakistan also has a higher infant mortality rate (88 per 1000) than the South Asian average (83 per 1000).