Bal0chistan has gr0wn its average m0nthly h0useh0ld inc0me faster than any 0ther pr0vince despite having the l0west m0nthly h0useh0ld inc0me, Pakistan S0cial and Living Standards Measurement (PSLM) Survey 2018-2019 has revealed.
Acc0rding t0 PSLM 2018-2019, Bal0chistan grew its average h0useh0ld inc0me by 21%, the highest gr0wth rate 0f any pr0vince, since the last editi0n 0f the PSLM rep0rt published in June 2014.
PSLM 2018-2019 c0vered 24,809 h0useh0lds and gathered inf0rmati0n ab0ut their inc0me, savings, liabilities, and c0nsumpti0n expenditure and c0nsumpti0n patterns at b0th nati0nal and pr0vincial levels with an urban-rural breakd0wn.
In the last 5 years, the highest h0useh0ld m0nthly inc0me was rep0rted in Punjab at Rs. 42,862 while Bal0chistan remained at the b0tt0m with Rs. 36,387. M0re0ver, the inc0me 0f the p00rest segment 0f s0ciety increased faster than the richest segment.
0verall, nati0nal m0nthly inc0me 0ver the past 5 years increased by 16.2% t0 Rs. 40,265 against the previ0us average 0f 34,642.
Here is a c0mparis0n 0f h0useh0ld m0nthly inc0me 0f all pr0vinces under PSLM 2018-2019 against PSLM 2013-2014.
Acc0rding t0 the 2019 survey, the average m0nthly c0nsumpti0n expenditure increased by 14% t0 Rs. 37,159 since the 2014 survey.
P00rest segment 0f the s0ciety has the l0west m0nthly c0nsumpti0n expenditure while the richest segment rep0rted the highest m0nthly expenditure. Similarly, the urban p0pulati0n has a c0nsumpti0n expenditure 0f 37% higher than the rural p0pulati0n.
With 42%, salaries and wages remain the biggest c0mp0nent 0f the h0useh0ld inc0me acr0ss Pakistan. Dependence 0f h0useh0ld inc0me 0n agriculture activities is increasing while dependence 0n livest0ck is 0n a d0wnward traject0ry, PSLM 2018-2019 c0ncluded.
