Pakistan is facing a major challenge poverty rates are growing and have reached an all-time high of 39.4%! It was 34.2% just a year ago.
This means that about 95 million people in Pakistan are poor, with approximately 12.5 million living below the poverty line.
The World Bank, an important organization that assists countries with their financial affairs, is concerned. They claim that Pakistan’s economic development strategy has not been successful.
This is due to a number of factors. Pakistan is coping with issues such as increased prices for necessities such as food and energy.
There are also major climate challenges, such as floods and droughts, that make life even more difficult.
But wait, there’s more. Pakistan is also dealing with a “silent” crisis in its schools and hospitals. Many children are not growing properly because they are not getting enough nutritious meals.
They are not learning as much as they should, and regrettably, many youngsters are becoming ill and dying prematurely. This is terribly unfortunate, and something needs to be done about it.
The World Bank has several recommendations for Pakistan. They’re proposing a massive 10-year economic plan. One suggestion is to raise taxes on agriculture and companies.
They also want to ensure that taxes are equitable. Some people are not paying as much tax as they should right now, which is producing problems.
The World Bank estimates that if they fix this, Pakistan’s economy will improve.
If Pakistan implements these improvements, there could be significant benefits. They may save a lot of money and earn more money.
They could also benefit from increased land and farming levies. Furthermore, if they strengthen their trade rules, they may be able to export more goods to other countries, which implies more jobs and money.
According to the World Bank, Pakistan must implement these adjustments rapidly. They claim that if Pakistan can catch up with other comparable countries in terms of education and healthcare, the GDP will rise by 32%. That’s a huge step forward!