Country Factsheet
Pakistan
This factsheet provides an overview of economic inclusion programs in Pakistan. Economic inclusion programs are a bundle of coordinated, multidimensional interventions that support individuals, households, and communities in raising their incomes and building their assets. The data used for this factsheet comes from the Partnership for Economic Inclusion’s Landscape Survey 2023.
Country Facts
Region
South Asia
Population
231.40 million
Income Group
Lower middle income
FCV country (WB FY24 list)
No
Poverty Headcount (share of population below the poverty line)
National Poverty Line
21.90%
Multidimensional Poverty Index
38.33%
$2.15/day (2017 PPP)
4.90%
Programs
Number of economic inclusion programs
7Institutional delivery (lead agency)
- Nongovernment-led
- Government-led
Geographic area
- Rural only
- Urban/peri
- Mix (urban & rural)
Participants
Number of participants
459,821Number of people benefiting
2.94 millionParticipants served by government-led programs (%)
68.95%Main Program Objectives
Wage employment
Self-employment
Income diversification
Productivity
Food security
Market access
Women's empowerment
Social inclusion
Social cohesion
Financial inclusion
Social services
Climate resilience
- More than 2/3 of programs
- Between 1/3 and less than 2/3 of programs
- Fewer than 1/3 of programs
Participant Profile
Targeted Poverty Segments
Poor
Extreme poor
Ultra-poor
Those above the poverty line
Doesn't target by poverty level
Targeted Population Groups
Women
Children
Youth
Older people
Persons with disabilities
Displacement-affected
Climate-affected
Marginalized
Conflict-affected
- More than 2/3 of programs
- Between 1/3 and less than 2/3 of programs
- Fewer than 1/3 of programs
CORE PROGRAM COMPONENTS
Transfer
Business capital
Wage employment facilitation
Skills training
Coaching
Financial services facilitation
Market links
Climate resilience support
ECONOMIC INCLUSION PROGRAMS SURVEYED
| Program Name | Year program began | Lead Agencies | Program Description | No. of Current Participants | % Female Participants | Poverty Targeting | Digital |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dairy Development Programme (DDP) | 2021 | Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) | The program aims to empower rural men and women, in Toba Tek Singh by supporting them in the dairy value chain for 18 months. The program focuses on women's roles in dairy asset control. | 2,765 | Targets poor broadly | No | |
| Growth for Rural Advancement and Sustainable Progress (GRASP) | 2021 | International Trade Centre (ITC) | The program aims to support poverty reduction and sustainable economic growth in rural Pakistan by improving income, employment, productivity and profitability of SMEs in selected value chains in 22 districts of Balochistan and Sindh. | 6,478 | 26-50% of participants | Does not target by poverty level | Yes |
| Interest Free Loan Program (Phase 2) | 2021 | Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) | The program supports micro-enterprises of the poor and marginalized in Pakistan, with loan centers offering business advisory services, market linkages, skill training, and input suppliers. | 133,354 | 51-75% of participants | Targets poor broadly | Yes |
| National Poverty Graduation Program (NPGP) | 2017 | Ministry of Poverty Alleviation & Social Safety | The program aims to sustainably graduate households from poverty through asset transfers, training, interest-free loans, and social capacity building in 21 districts. | 220,000 | 76-99% of participants | Targets poor broadly | Yes |
| Punjab Human Capital Investment Project | 2020 | Punjab Social Protection Authority | The project aims to improve maternal and newborn child healthcare, early childhood education, and livelihood opportunities for the poor and vulnerable population, along with the provision of market readiness training, asset transfers, and mentoring to young couples. | 47,024 | 51-75% of participants | Targets poor broadly | Yes |
| Community Support Program (CASA-1000) | 2020 | Planning and Development Department of Provincial Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | The project is a benefit sharing project that uses a community-driven development approach to enable remote community institutions to identify priority needs and contribute to improving service delivery, market access, creation of community physical assets, and community wellbeing. | 50,000 | 26-50% of participants | Targets XP/UP only | Yes |
| Revitalizing Youth Enterprise (RYE) Program (Phase 2) | 2022 | Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) | The program aims to reduce poverty by training unemployed youths in digital and life skills for online and offline markets, with all trainings supported by established market and logistics infrastructure. | 200 | 51-75% of participants | Targets poor broadly | Yes |
Only programs that have given their consent to share their program data are included in this table
The Partnership for Economic Inclusion (PEI) is a global platform that unites non-governmental organizations, UN agencies, research institutions, funding partners, and the World Bank to support government adoption and scale up of economic inclusion programs that empower vulnerable people to lift themselves out of extreme poverty.
| DNA: Does Not Apply; FY: Fiscal Year; FCV: Fragility, Conflict, and Violence; MPI: Multidimensional Poverty Index; NPL: National Poverty Line; N/A: Not available; WB: World Bank |