Pakistan’s household income in USD for past quarter of century

Using Pakistan Bureau of Statistics HIES reports and SBP provided exchange rates we get below.

1/ In USD terms , income per household continued to grow till 2018

2/ Measured in USD we are some where in 2010 level of income per household

3/ All this needs to however be understood in context of managed exchange rate in 2013 -2018 time period.

4/ The overall picture suggests sluggish growth even between 2000-2018 time period.

5/ Debate is needed if this growth is :

a/ maximum what we desire? I know its controversial but if one agrees that same time period has delivered poverty alleviation to millions in Pakistan than why cant we argue for similar growth rate to continue? High growth rate also takes a toll on social fabric (societies with rapid urbanisation have had major crime), disrupts family structure , makes market societies (as opposed to market economies) and so on.

b/ if we need more growth than what should it look like and for whom? What would be the positives and negatives of such growth ?

Debate and dialogue on such issues is rare in Pakistan. Just parroting economists from the West followed long ago is lazy and certainly some thing Pakistanis cant afford any longer.