Poverty Rate Rises in Pakistan as 800,000 Citizens Move Abroad in One Year
Pakistan’s poverty rate has increased significantly, while nearly 800,000 citizens left the country over the past year in search of better employment opportunities abroad.
Presenting the Economic Survey in the National Assembly, Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb stated that the national poverty rate has reached 28.9 percent.
According to the survey, poverty in urban areas rose from 11 percent to 17.4 percent, while rural poverty increased sharply from 28.2 percent to 36.2 percent.
The report also showed that Pakistan’s national literacy rate stands at 63 percent, reflecting ongoing progress in the education sector.
On a provincial level, Balochistan emerged as the poorest province with a poverty rate of 47 percent. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ranked second at 35.3 percent, followed by Sindh at 32.6 percent, while Punjab recorded the lowest poverty rate among the provinces at 23.3 percent.
Analysts say the government’s poverty figures have raised serious questions about Pakistan’s economic performance and official claims regarding financial stability.
Meanwhile, 800,000 Pakistanis moved abroad for employment during the last fiscal year. Among them, around 530,000 chose Saudi Arabia as their destination.
The number of migrants to Qatar reached 68,000, while migration to the United Arab Emirates declined to 52,000. A notable decrease was also recorded in migration to the United Kingdom and Oman.