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Pakistan’s economy may appear stable, with stock markets climbing and government officials highlighting IMF-backed reforms, but the World Bank’s latest assessment paints a far bleaker picture: poverty and inequality are worsening across the country, affecting millions of households.

The World Bank’s poverty and resilience report shows that, even amid macroeconomic stability, the living conditions of ordinary citizens have declined. Poverty, which had fallen from over 60% in 2001 to roughly 21% by 2018, rose again to more than 27% by 2023–24. When measured against lower-middle-income benchmarks, almost half of Pakistan’s population now lives below the poverty line.

The report points to deep regional disparities. Rural areas, par

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