armenia kazakhstan and pakistan recorded the smallest decline in absolute poverty but while absolute poverty in armenia and kazakhstan is low compared to other countries the poverty rate in pakistan remains very high the share of undernourishment is generally correlated with the share of the population living under the usd poverty line figure but in sri lanka and tajikistan the prevalence of undernourishment is well above what one would expect given absolute poverty rates levels of undernourishment are also very high in lao pdr cambodia india pakistan and nepal particularly in the aforementioned countries there may be space for social policies with a greater focus on food security