In Pakistan, everything is booming — profits, pay at the top ... and poverty

Khurram Husain
Feb 27, 2026 | 18:59 IST

The latest in the parade of grim numbers is a revelation by the Pakistan Planning Commission that poverty has surged since 2018. For those at the top, though, this isn’t a failure. The economy is delivering precisely what it’s designed to



Since 2001, these numbers had been declining, sometimes slowly, other times rapidly. But for the first time in nearly a quarter century, we have seen them rise, from 21.9% of the population living below the poverty to 28.8% today.
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