Documentation of Rural Poverty Profile and its Correlates in Pakistan. A Sub-District Level Analysis through Consumption Approach

Abstract

Finding magnitude and Identification of factors that are strongly linked with the rural poverty is an important aspect in developing successful strategies intended for poverty. In this study we have also estimated poverty incidence, intensity and severity among the rural households in Athara Hazari (one of four sub district of Jhang, Punjab Province) along with the other demographic , social and socioeconomic factors of households that affect the poverty. The analysis of the study carried out on the basis of primary data and the same was collected through the structured and specifically designed questionnaires and document analysis. Multi-stage random sampling technique was employed to select 1000 household head as respondents from the different villages of study area. This study used poverty line Rs. 2478/- which was calculated by the Planning Commission of Pakistan. According to the survey conducted in 2017, 40.3% are below the Poverty line (15% people are extremely poor). Depth and severity are 34% and 11% respectively. Majority of families were headed by farmer, illiterate and aged persons and also all three measures, headcount index, depth and severity of poverty were worse among these households. Results of the logistic regression suggest that an increase in the landholding, livestock and total assets of the household have considerably decreasing the probability of being poor in the study area.