New Delhi, Nov 1 (IANS) Pakistan is driving the rise in extreme poverty across West Asia, North Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan (MENAAP) region, with nearly half of the region’s poorest people now living there, according to a World Bank report.
The finding comes from the October edition of the bank’s Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan Economic Update.
A report by Pakistani daily Dawn on October 7, headlined “Pakistan drives regional rise in poverty levels”, highlighted the World Bank’s findings on poverty.
Nearly 48 per cent of the region’s population living below the extreme-poverty line of $3 a day is in Pakistan, the report says.
Another 47 per cent of the poor live in Afghanistan, Syria, and Yemen.
The report describes the concentration of extreme poverty in a handful of countries as especially pronounced. Its figures put Pakistan at the centre of the regional burden, while Afghanistan, Syria, and Yemen account for nearly all of the remaining share.
The findings come as conflict, disrupted trade, and climate risks compound pressures on households already struggling to afford food and other essentials across the wider region today.
It forecasts Pakistan’s economy will grow by 3.8 per cent in the 2026-27 fiscal year, while its fiscal deficit will stand at 3.5 per cent of gross domestic product.
The region has suffered severe economic losses from the conflict that began in February 2026, the report says.
Unlike previous energy crises, when oil-exporting countries generally benefited, Gulf oil producers have borne the highest costs this time because the Strait of Hormuz has been closed.
The World Bank projects the region’s economies, which expanded by an average of 3.3 per cent in 2025, will contract by 2.1 per cent on average in 2026.
“The impact of this conflict is not limited to the energy sector. It is also severely disrupting tourism, aviation and supply chains. Rising uncertainty is also weighing on financial markets and business confidence,” the report stated.
–IANS