TDS Desk

About 1.78 crore people in Bangladesh have either become poor or are at risk of poverty due to high inflation since 2022, according to a recent study.

With a decrease in purchasing capacity due to continuous high inflation, 78 lakh people in the country have come under the poverty line, and about one crore people have come under the risk of poverty, revealed the study conducted by the Research and Policy Integration for Development (RAPID).

The findings of the study were presented during a workshop, titled “Current Macroeconomic Situation and Preparation for LDC Graduation”, at the CIRDAP auditorium in the capital December 15.

RAPID also found that 38 lakh people who were previously poor have now fallen below the extreme poverty line.

“Poverty and vulnerability situations have become worse because of eroding purchasing power,” Deen Islam, research director of RAPID, said in his presentation.

Speaking on the occasion, RAPID Chairman MA Razzaque said, “Real wages have not increased at the same rate as poverty has increased. As a result, poverty and vulnerability have increased.”