63 pc Pakistanis unable to afford a healthy diet: Report

New Delhi, Aug 7 (IANS) Around 63 per cent of Pakistanis — about 161 million people — were unable to afford the cheapest combination of grains, pulses, milk, eggs, fruits, vegetables and other nutritious food items after accounting for essential non-food expenses such as housing, transport and utilities, according to a report.

According to a report published in The News Pakistan highlighted that nearly two-thirds of Pakistan’s population could not afford a minimum healthy diet in 2025, giving the country the highest rate of healthy diet unaffordability in South Asia despite having the region’s lowest-cost nutritious food basket.

The finding comes even as global hunger levels showed signs of improvement with the share of the world’s population facing hunger declining to 7.8 per cent in 2025 from 8.1 per cent in 2024 and 8.6 per cent in 2022, it said.

In addition, food affordability remains a major challenge in Pakistan despite a moderation in inflation from the peaks seen in 2023.

Analysts cited in the report said that while price increases have slowed, household purchasing power has not recovered from the sharp erosion caused by the inflation surge.

The report also showed that real household incomes fell by nearly 13 per cent after adjusting for inflation.

While poverty increased from 21.9 per cent to 28.9 per cent, pushing an estimated 25 million additional people below the poverty line.

The deterioration is also reflected in dietary patterns.

Consumption of 13 out of 14 key food items declined between the two latest survey rounds, with per capita monthly consumption of rice falling by nearly 19 per cent, pulses by 26 per cent and milk by 10 per cent, while combined consumption of mutton, beef and chicken dropped by about 18 per cent.

–IANS

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