Region-wise comparative analysis of multi-dimensional poverty in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

While there is no specific definition of poverty, it is now increasingly being considered as a multi-dimensional phenomenon instead of a unidimensional concept such as lack of income. This study delves into a region-wise comparative analysis of poverty in the northwestern province of Pakistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which borders Afghanistan and has been witnessing drastic implications of the war against terrorism in Afghanistan. PSLM/HIES 2018-19 data from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics has been used in the study which has a sample size of 4464 households from the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The study incorporates ten key dimensions of poverty into the construction of multi-dimensional poverty index as per the Alkire-Foster methodology. The findings of the study reveal that the average poverty rate in the province is about 50 percent. The divisions of Bannu, Malakand, and D. I. Khan are the poorest regions in the province, whereas, as expected, the divisions of Peshawar and Mardan are the least poor. Our results also indicate that rural areas of the province have more severe poverty as compared to urban areas of the province.