60 percent population living below poverty line IN Pakistan: World Bank report

60 percent population living below poverty line: World Bank report

May 19, 2013

Sixty percent of Pakistan''s population is living below poverty line, a World Bank report entitled World Development Indicators (WDI) 2013 said on Saturday. The international poverty line is two dollars a day or an income of Rs 200 per day. The report shows that 21 percent of Pakistan''s population lives below $1.25 per day.

A comparison of regional countries showed that the poverty rate in Sri Lanka and Nepal was significantly less than Pakistan with 23.9 percent and 57.35 percent, respectively. The poverty rate in India and Bangladesh was higher than Pakistan with 68.7 percent and 76.5 percent. Analysis of the data revealed that 30.9 percent of children under the age of five are suffering from malnutrition and underweight. Mortality rate under five is 72 per 1000 birth-rate and maternal mortality ratio is 260 per 100,000 births. The youth literacy rate was recorded at 71 per cent for age 15-24 and primary completion rate was 67 per cent of relevant age group. The vulnerable employment, the proportion of unpaid family workers and own account workers in total employment was 63 percent in Pakistan.

Environment indicators show that average annual deforestation in the country is 2.24 percent cent and 9.8 percent of the terrestrial and marine area of the total terrestrial and marine area is nationally protected. The internal renewable freshwater resources are 311 per capita cubic meters and 92 percent of the total population has access to improved water resources. About 48 percent population, according to WDI, has access to improved sanitation facilities. The average annual growth in urban population is 2.7 percent.

According to WDI economic indicators, economic growth of Pakistan for the current fiscal year is forecast at 3.9 percent. The country''s military expenditures are reported at 3 percent of the GDP during 2011 and stock market capitalisation 15.6 per cent and domestic credit provided by the banking sector 43.3 percent of the GDP for the period. The tax revenue collection by the central government was recorded at 9.3 percent of GDP in 2011 and electric power consumption per capita 457 kilowatt per hour in 2010. The mobile cellular subscription was 62 people per 100 individuals and 1.8 percent high technology exports of the total manufactured exports in 2011.