THE findings of a multidimensional survey that the finance ministry has funded to assess how families coped with issues of income, employment, expenditure, financial resilience and digital participation in one year since the 2024 uprising are worrying. The poverty rate increased to 27.93 per cent in May 2025, as the survey that research and policy advocacy organisation Power and Participation Research Centre has conducted shows, up from 18.7 per cent in 2022. The survey, which had 8,067 households as respondents from across all the 64 districts, suggests that a positive economic outlook may not be forthcoming amidst high inflation that has persisted for three years, a massive devaluation of the taka and investment inertia. The survey, made public in Dhaka on August 25, says that food alone now accounts for almost 54.9 per cent of the monthly household expenditure, followed by costs for medical treatment which accounts for 7.5 per cent, education 7.29 per cent and transport 6.4 per cent. The survey observes that poverty and vulnerability because of indebtedness, chronic diseases, food insecurity and disguised employment have plagued majority of the households amidst political and economic uncertainties in the year since the 2024 uprising.
The situation, with a widening income inequality, is, overall, worrying as the country is set to graduate from the bloc of least developed countries on November 24, 2026. About 19.8 per cent of the households report that they have faced financial constraints over the year, with the highest of 67.4 per cent accounting for medical expenses and 27 per cent for loan repayment. Eighteen per cent of the households say that they are in a vulnerable zone because of the growing burden of chronic illnesses such as high blood pressure, gastritis, diabetes and heart diseases. Borrowing to pay for food and medical expenses has indebted 40 per cent of the households, with the bottom 4 per cent having experienced a 7 per cent increase in debt in over six months. Insufficient food security has left 12 per cent of the poor skipping meals. The survey, which has also focused on harassment and bribery to weigh people鈥檚 concern and ground reality, says that the highest of 41 per cent of households have faced harassment at markets, 21.6 per cent at public service outlets, 17.9 per cent on the road and 15.3 per cent at work. Harassment includes bureaucratic hassles, lack of clear services path, delay in decision, inattentive officials, greedy attitude and lack of ethics. Female participation in labour force has been stuck at 26 per cent.
The government should, therefore, not only enhance and widen social security programmes and introduce special packages for chronic illness, as experts suggest but should also shore up other issues by taking up a holistic approach to stem the decline in the poverty situation.
