Poverty in Pakistan

Poverty in Pakistan has been recorded by the World Bank at 39.4% using the lower middle-income poverty rate of US$3.65 per day (2017 PPP) for the fiscal year 2023–24. In September 2021, the government stated that 22% percent of its population lives below the national poverty line set at Rs. 3030 (US$10) per month.

Independent bodies supported estimates of a considerable fall in the statistic by the 2007-08 fiscal year, when it was estimated that 17.2% of the total population lived below the poverty line. 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". In 2001, the government was assisted by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in preparing the Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper that suggests guidelines to reduce poverty in the country. According to a 2016 report submitted by Ministry of Planning and Development in the National Assembly of Pakistan, about 24.3% Pakistani lived below the poverty line which translates into 55 million people.

In 2022, Pakistan's Human Development Index (HDI) was 0.544, and ranks 161 out of 192 countries. In 2024, Pakistan ranked 164 out of 194 countries.

As of 2025, approximately 45% of Pakistan’s population was living below the poverty line. The information was based on revised poverty thresholds and survey data from 2018–19. The World Bank also noted a rise in extreme poverty, with the proportion increasing from 4.9% to 16.5%. Additionally, 10 million additional individuals were found to be at risk of descending into poverty.