As of February 20, 2026, Pakistan's poverty rate has surged to 28.8%, a significant increase from 21.9% in 2018-19, marking a rise of 6.9 percentage points over six years. Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal attributed this alarming trend to a combination of factors including three IMF stabilization programs, the impacts of COVID-19, soaring inflation, and two devastating floods. He stated, "Owing to various factors — including three IMF stabilisation programmes over the past six years, the effects of Covid-19, commodity super-cycles, soaring inflation, lower GDP growth rates, two super floods and abandonment of wheat support prices — poverty levels in Pakistan have surged," as reported by Profit by Pakistan Today. This reversal in poverty trends is particularly pronounced in provinces like Punjab and Sindh, which have seen the most significant increases, while Balochistan recorded a slight rise.