Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median in Pakistan
Pakistan: Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median was 7.6% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median in Pakistan, 1987–2024
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median in Pakistan is 7.6%, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 84.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median in Pakistan peaked at 9.3% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 3.0%, in 1996.
Pakistan ranks 99th of 120 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 14 years of available data.
Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median in Pakistan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 7.5% | — |
| 1990 | 9.3% | +24.9% |
| 1996 | 3.0% | -68.2% |
| 1998 | 5.5% | +84.4% |
| 2001 | 3.5% | -35.6% |
| 2004 | 4.5% | +28.2% |
| 2005 | 3.6% | -19.1% |
| 2007 | 3.1% | -13.9% |
| 2010 | 3.0% | -3.8% |
| 2011 | 3.1% | +3.6% |
| 2013 | 4.1% | +31.0% |
| 2015 | 3.8% | -8.3% |
| 2018 | 3.4% | -8.5% |
| 2024 | 7.6% | +120.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 7.5% | 7.5% | 7.5% | 1 |
| 1990s | 5.9% | 3.0% | 9.3% | 3 |
| 2000s | 3.7% | 3.1% | 4.5% | 4 |
| 2010s | 3.5% | 3.0% | 4.1% | 5 |
| 2020s | 7.6% | 7.6% | 7.6% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Pakistan
More poverty & inequality data for Pakistan
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 2 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 3.6 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 3,634 kg per hectare (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate 4.94 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 12.36 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 12.4% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median in Pakistan?
- Relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median in Pakistan was 7.6% in 2024, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median recorded in Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 9.3% in 1990.
- What is the lowest relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median recorded in Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.0% in 1996.
- How does Pakistan rank for relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median?
- Pakistan ranks 99th out of 120 countries with data for 2024.
- Is relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median rising or falling in Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 84.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Pakistan data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below 50% of the median.