Abstract
The present study aims to empirically analyze the extent and depth of
multidimensional poverty in Pakistan. The dimensions covered by present study are
education, health, house services, quality of house, additional facility and women
empowerment. The required data is extracted from latest Pakistan Demographic
Health Survey. The study followed Alkire-Foster (2009; 2011a) methodology and
analyzed poverty by using six measures including headcount index, average
deprivation, multidimensional poverty index, poverty gap, adjusted poverty gap,
squared poverty gap and adjusted squared poverty gap. Each index is calculated at
three different poverty cutoffs, i.e.1
3
,
1
2
and 2
3
. Moreover, poverty at each cut-off is
measured by assigning equal and unequal weights to each dimension of well-being.
The results revealed that about 10% households are chronically poor and another 30%
are substantially poor. It is also worth mentioning that for analysis with unequal
weights, headcount indices at all threshold levels were low but average deprivations
and poverty gaps were higher. This indicates that when dimensions are weighted
according to preferences, a lesser proportion of population is poor but the intensity of
poverty increases.
