38 million people (one in four) live in poverty on around =A31 a day or less. Pakistan has 17 million out of school children. Half of all adults, two out of every three women, are illiterate. One in ten children die before their tenth birthday, and 14,000 women die in childbirth every year.
Entrenched poverty is denying opportunities to millions of people and undermining Pakistan's long term stability and prosperity.
Tackling poverty and building a stable, prosperous, and democratic Pakistan will help not only millions of poor Pakistanis, but will also improve stability and insecurity in Pakistan, the region, and beyond.
That's why Pakistan is one of the UK Government's top priorities. And that's why the UK's aid to Pakistan could potentially more than double, scaling up to =A3446 million a year by 2015.