Pakistan population boom: extreme poverty rate at 21 percent poses enormous challenge: ADB

The extreme poverty rate still persists at 21 percent in Pakistan and posing a significant challenge given its large population, revealed the Asian Development Bank (ADB) report. The Bank has issued its latest report "Key Indicators for Asia and the Pacific 2014, Poverty in Asia" which states that most of the economies have achieved the target of halving extreme poverty, defined as people having average income or consumption less than $1.25 per day in 2005 purchasing power parity terms.
However, extreme poverty remained high at over 20 percent in six economies: Bangladesh (43.3 percent), the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) (33.9 percent), India (32.7 percent), Nepal (24.8 percent), Turkmenistan (24.8 percent), and Pakistan (21.0 percent). The high rate of extreme poverty poses a significant challenge to these economies, particularly for Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan given their large populations.
According to the ADB report Pakistan is among the countries having lowest employment-to-population ratio of 43 percent. The employment-to-population ratio increased in most reporting economies between the earliest and latest years. This ratio is the proportion of a country's working-age population that is employed and is an indicator of the economy's ability to provide employment. For most economies, this ratio for the latest year was in the 50 percent-70 percent range and had marginally improved relative to the earlier years data. Nine developing economies, including populous Bangladesh, the PRC, and India, registered a decline. Those with the lowest employment-to-population ratios were Pakistan (43 percent) and the Pacific economies of Fiji (36 percent), Samoa (39 percent), and Timor-Leste (40 percent). Very high ratios, such as in Nepal (92 percent) and Cambodia (84 percent), can reflect high levels of employment in low-paying informal jobs, widespread in developing Asia.
The report further states that developing economies have made substantial progress toward universal primary education with most having achieved the target 95 percent net enrollment rate in primary education. Except for Pakistan, where the net enrollment rate for boys is about 10 percentage points above that for girls, there is no apparent gender bias against girls in primary school enrollment.
Of the 38 economies with available data, more than half - 21 economies have their proportion of women in non-agricultural wage employment at 40 percent or better. The lack of women's economic empowerment is most severe in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan where the proportions of women in non-farm paid employment sectors is below 20 percent.
Developing economies in the region have made substantial progress toward universal primary education with most having achieved the target 95 percent net enrollment ratio in primary education. Except for Pakistan, where the net enrollment ratio for boys is about 10 percentage points above that for girls, there is no apparent gender bias against girls in primary school enrollment, maintained in the report.