कंगाली की कगार पर पाकिस्तान! शिक्षा बजट में कटौती, गरीबी ने तोड़े सारे रिकॉर्ड – pakistan poverty rate rises education budget cut economic survey ntc rlch
The condition of Pakistan, which is struggling with economic crisis, is getting worse day by day. The figures of ‘Pakistan Economic Survey 2025-26’ released on Thursday are very shocking. While on one hand poverty in the country has broken the records of the last several years, on the other hand the government has made huge cuts in the budget for children’s education. According to the Economic Survey, the national poverty rate in Pakistan has increased to 28.9%, while the expenditure on education has decreased to just 0.8% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
It has been said in the survey that rising inflation has increased the problems of common people. In 2018-19, the per capita monthly poverty line was Rs 3,757, which has now increased to Rs 8,484. The situation has worsened the most in rural areas. Rural poverty increased from 28.2 percent to 36.2 percent, while poverty in urban areas increased from 11 percent to 17.4 percent.
Talking about the provinces, Balochistan remains the poorest province, where 47 percent of the population is living below the poverty line. After this, 35.3 percent people are poor in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 32.6 percent in Sindh and 23.3 percent in Punjab. The report also states that income inequality is continuously increasing. The Gini coefficient has increased from 28.4 to 32.7, indicating a growing gap between the rich and the poor.
The Economic Survey has warned that the ongoing tension and geopolitical crisis in the Middle East Pakistan The situation may worsen further. According to the report, about 55 percent of the foreign exchange (remittance) received by Pakistan comes from the Middle East. If the situation there worsens, the income of lakhs of families may be affected and poverty may increase further.
Situation in education sector is very worrying
The situation in the education sector has also been said to be very worrying. Government expenditure on education reduced to Pakistani rupees 962 billion in fiscal year 2025, which was Rs 1,251 billion last year. The total expenditure on education is now only 0.8 percent of the country’s GDP, whereas in 2023 it was 1.5 percent. Heavy cuts in the education budget were recorded in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, although Sindh and Balochistan have increased spending.
According to the report, the literacy rate in Pakistan is 63 percent, while women’s literacy is only 54 percent. About one-third of the children in the country are still out of school. There is also a severe lack of basic facilities in schools. Electricity is available in only 59 percent of primary schools in the entire country, whereas in Balochistan this figure is only 21 percent.
The Economic Survey has clearly warned that if investment in education and social welfare is not increased, the problems of poverty, inequality and unemployment in Pakistan may worsen.
—- End —-
