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Pakistan's Food Insecurity Crisis Deepens, Affecting 61 Million

Pakistan's food insecurity crisis is escalating, with nearly one in four citizens, or about 61 million people, now facing moderate or severe food insecurity. The severe form has more than doubled since 2019, indicating a sharp deterioration. This crisis translates into severe public health risks, including malnutrition, obesity from poor diets, and impaired child development. The long-term economic consequences include higher healthcare costs, reduced labor productivity, and entrenched intergenerational poverty.

Key Points: Pakistan Food Insecurity Crisis: Public Health & Economic Risks

  • 24.35% face food insecurity
  • Severe insecurity more than doubled
  • 61 million Pakistanis affected
  • Long-term health and economic damage
  • Child development at severe risk
2 min read

Pakistan's food insecurity crisis poses public health, economic risks

24% of Pakistanis face food insecurity, risking health, child development, and the economy. Severe insecurity has doubled since 2019.

"These are not indicators of progress but of deepening vulnerability. - Business Recorder editorial"

New Delhi, Jan 15

Pakistan's food insecurity challenge is not only a social sector concern but a growing public health and economic risk. When nearly one in four Pakistanis faces moderate or severe food insecurity, the implications will surface in higher healthcare costs, reduced labour productivity and deeper intergenerational poverty, according to an editorial published in the Karachi-based publication Business Recorder.

It highlights that the 'Food Insecurity Experience Scale' findings from 'HIES 2024-25' present a reality far more troubling than the language used to describe them. While the report refers to "significant progress yet persistent challenges" in ensuring equitable food access, the data itself points to a clear and sustained deterioration.

Moderate or severe food insecurity at the national level has risen sharply from 15.92 per cent in 2018-19 to 24.35 per cent in 2024-25. In population terms, this means roughly 61 million Pakistanis now live in households where access to food is uncertain.

Severe food insecurity has more than doubled from 2.37 per cent to 5.04 per cent, implying that about 12.6 million people are facing the most extreme form of deprivation. These are not indicators of progress but of deepening vulnerability.

According to the FAO, moderate food insecurity reflects a situation in which households cannot reliably access sufficient food and are forced to compromise on quality, variety, or regularity of meals. Severe food insecurity represents a far graver condition, where households run out of food altogether and may go a day or more without eating.

When viewed through this lens, the HIES findings signal not just rising discomfort, but a growing number of Pakistanis experiencing sustained nutritional stress and outright hunger, the editorial points out.

The consequences extend well beyond empty stomachs. FAO evidence shows that moderate food insecurity is closely linked to poor diet quality, micronutrient deficiencies, and rising obesity due to reliance on highly processed foods. Severe food insecurity carries even heavier costs, increasing risks of physical illness, mental stress, and long-term health damage.

For children, repeated exposure to food insecurity raises the likelihood of stunting, wasting, impaired cognitive development, and weaker educational outcomes, effects that permanently undermine human capital and future productivity, the article added.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

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Priya S
The data is shocking - severe food insecurity more than doubled! It's a clear governance failure. When such a large portion of the population is struggling to eat, it creates instability for the entire region. The economic and health costs mentioned will haunt them for generations. A sobering read.
A
Aman W
This is why prioritizing basic needs like food and agriculture is so crucial for any nation. Instead of spending heavily on defense and geopolitics, the focus should be on farmers and food distribution systems. A lesson for all developing economies, including ours.
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Sarah B
The link between food insecurity and obesity due to processed foods is a critical point often missed. It's not just about calories, it's about nutrition. This creates a double burden of disease. Public health planning needs to address this complex reality.
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Vikram M
While the situation is dire, I respectfully think the article could have explored the root causes more. Is it climate change affecting crops? Economic policies? Corruption in distribution? Understanding the 'why' is essential for any solution. Still, the human cost highlighted is undeniable.
K
Kavya N
"Intergenerational poverty" – that phrase hits hard. When children are stunted and can't learn properly, the cycle continues. No country can progress with a quarter of its population food-insecure. This is a humanitarian crisis, first and foremost.

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