Half of Afghanistan's population lives below poverty line: World Bank

The World Bank's top economists have said that half of Afghanistan's population currently lives below the poverty line, TOLO News reported.

World Bank Senior Economist Silvia Redaelli said: "We see that in terms of monetary poverty, we still have half of the population that in 2023 is consuming below the poverty line."

Director and Cofounder of the Institute for Development and Economic Affairs, Naheed Sarabi, said at the discussion that the economic situation of women is getting worse, reported TOLO News,an Afghan news channel broadcasting from Kabul.

"Feminization of poverty is a fact in Afghanistan, and it is getting worse and worse. It is not the restrictive policies of the Taliban that affect poverty and women's activities, but there have been reports that in villages and rural areas people actually self-police because of fear, because of the environment that has been created," Sarabi noted, as per TOLO News.

Some economists, meanwhile, attributed the increase in economic challenges in the country to the imposition of restrictions by the international community, saying that to solve this problem, the Islamic Emirate should increase economic interactions with the countries of the region.

"One of the main reasons of the current situation of the country is because of the sanctions imposed by the went on the country," Abdul Naseer Reshtia, an economist told TOLO News.

The Taliban appointed Ministry of Economy said that by launching large economic projects in the country, they are trying to provide job opportunities for the citizens.

"In order to overcome the economic challenges, the Islamic Emirate is working on development projects, strengthening of private sector and infrastructure, and the launching of large economic projects that provide employment," said Abdul Latif Nazari, Taliban's Deputy of the Ministry of Economy,

Previously, various UN agencies expressed their concerns about the economic crisis in Afghanistan, saying that nearly 30 million people in Afghanistan need humanitarian aid.