World Bank analysis estimated ~60.4m Pakistanis below national poverty line in 2023-24.
Source
World Bank — https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2025/10/17/fragile-gains-enduring-challenges-charting-pakistan-s-path-out-of-poverty. Verified in source set / retroactive normalization pending.
What it proves
Shows scale of poverty beyond percentages.
What it does not prove: 60.4m is a headcount against the national line, so it moves with population as much as with welfare: at ~2.07% annual growth the absolute number can rise even in a year when the poverty rate is flat or falling. It also says nothing about depth — a household one rupee below the line and one at half the line count identically.
Memory hook: 60.4m → poverty counted in people, not in percentage points
Rebuts the claim: 'The poverty rate has come down over two decades, so fewer Pakistanis are poor today' — a falling rate against a growing base still leaves ~60.4m below the line.