Pakistan is now extremely poor, World Bank reveals SHOCKING reality, says half of Pakistan..., army surviving on money of...

India.com

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Pakistan is now extremely poor, World Bank reveals SHOCKING reality, says half of Pakistan..., army surviving on money of...
The latest data from the World Bank shows a clear difference between the situations in India and Pakistan. While India has made strong progress in reducing poverty, Pakistan is facing a serious rise in it. Between 2012 and 2022, extreme poverty in India dropped from 27.1 per cent to just 5.3 per cent. During this time, nearly 27 crore people in India moved out of poverty. This is a big achievement and shows how fast India's economy is growing.
On the other hand, Pakistan's condition has worsened. From 2017 to 2021, extreme poverty there went up from 4.9 per cent to 16.5 per cent. At the same time, Pakistan's economy has been struggling so badly that it has had to ask the IMF for financial help again and again.
India has now become the 4th largest economy in the world, even going ahead of Japan. In contrast, many common people in Pakistan are now facing extreme financial hardship. The World Bank numbers clearly show how tough life has become for the average Pakistani. More Indians escaped poverty than Pakistan's entire population
The World Bank has updated the way it measures poverty. Now, anyone earning less than USD 3 per day is considered to be living in extreme poverty. Even by this new standard, India has made remarkable progress in reducing poverty.
In 2011-12, around 34.44 crore Indians were extremely poor. But by 2022-23, that number had fallen to 7.52 crore. That means about 26.9 crore people in India came out of poverty over 11 years which is more than the entire population of Pakistan. Pakistan's poverty crisis worsens
In contrast, Pakistan's poverty situation has gone from bad to worse. World Bank in its latest report classified 16.5 per cent of Pakistanis living in extreme poverty. The World Bank's latest projections indicate that Pakistan's poverty rate remains as high as 42.4 per cent. An estimated number of 1.9 million additional people fell into poverty in 2024-25.
According to the World Bank report, the agriculture sector faced significant challenges in Pakistan in 2025, as weather conditions deteriorated with a 40 per cent reduction in rainfall, alongside pest attacks and shifting production choices. The international agency also expressed apprehension that crop yields are most likely to decline, ranging from 29.6 per cent for cotton to 1.2 per cent for rice, limiting sectoral growth to under 2 per cent.
From 2017 to 2021, extreme poverty rose from 4.9 per cent to 16.5 per cent. Experts believe the reality could be even more serious if older data is factored in.
According to the report, the percentage of Pakistanis earning less than USD 4.2 a day rose from 39.8 per cent in 2017 to over 44.7 per cent by 2021. That means nearly half of Pakistan's population is now living in poverty. Pakistan's economy running on loans, army said to be the only beneficiary
Pakistan's economy is heavily dependent on loans from other countries and global financial institutions. Over the years, Pakistan has taken 25 bailout packages from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), totaling around USD 44.57 billion. In addition, it owes about USD 38.8 billion to the World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB), and the Islamic Development Bank.
On top of that, Pakistan has borrowed over USD 25 billion from China, and around USD 7.8 billion from sources like Eurobonds and Sukuk bonds. Countries like Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and members of the Paris Club have also given Pakistan loans worth several billion dollars.
According to a report by NDTV, Ajay Bisaria, who once served as India's High Commissioner to Pakistan, said that no amount of foreign aid can fix Pakistan's problems unless the military stops interfering in politics and the economy.
He explained that the Pakistani army controls the distribution of national resources, and ends up using much of the international aid for its own benefit, including supporting terror networks. 'The data clearly shows,' he said, 'that it is the army, not the people of Pakistan, who are becoming richer with every bailout.'
He suggested that the global community should put strict conditions, like those enforced by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), to track where the aid money goes. This would help ensure that the funds are used for development and public welfare, not for the army's interests.