Pakistan is facing an alarming population growth rate according to one of the country’s senior politicians.

Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Ahsan Iqbal, has expressed his serious concerns over Pakistan’s current annual population growth rate of 2.55 per cent.

Minister Iqbal was chairing a high-level meeting on population management last week, during which it was announced that Pakistan’s population is projected to exceed 386 million by 2050.

The meeting concluded with consensus on establishing a National Population Commission under the leadership of the prime minister, with representation from all four provinces. Minister Iqbal instructed the stakeholders that the proposed Commission be tasked with setting population targets, ensuring accountability, and driving a unified national strategy on population management.

The minister highlighted that Pakistan’s population challenge poses numerous problems for millions of young people entering adulthood, who were frequently “without access to quality education, skills training, or meaningful employment”.

“Population planning has far-reaching consequences on all aspects of life,” said Iqbal. “Everything depends on the size of the family”.

Highlighting the demographic challenge faced, Iqbal noted that Pakistan is now the fifth most populous country in the world, with 80 per cent of its population under the age of 40 and 66 per cent below 30. “These figures are alarming,” he said, stressing that the federal and provincial governments must work together to address the growing crisis.

According to latest data, Pakistan’s population has exceeded 255 million, with a fertility rate of 3.5 per cent and a growth rate of 2.55 per cent (accounting for deaths).

The meeting discussed the Planning Ministry’s proposal for creation of a high-powered commission, led by the prime minister, and comprising all four chief ministers, to tackle Pakistan’s unprecedented problem of population management.

Pakistan’s Council of Common Interests has already set a goal of bringing the fertility rate down to 2.2 per cent by 2030, a goal which many feel is highly unlikely to be acheived.

A recent Population Council report estimates that almost half of the pregnancies in Pakistan are unplanned, highlighting the huge void between the demand for, and the supply of, family planning services across the country.

The government is also aware of the importance of education in bringing down fertility rates and has set a target of compulsory primary education for all children by 2028.

Pakistan’s government recently declared an ‘education emergency’ after data showed that more than 25 million children currently do not attend primary school. And given the lack of reliable data from rural provinces, the actual figure may be much higher.

Education and family planning services are more than just necessities if Pakistan’s alarming population growth is to be slowed. They are also basic human rights. The country’s policies, actions and investment in essential services over the next decade will be critical to its stability and prosperity.

At the time of writing, the population of Pakistan sits at approximately 255.3 million, a staggering 64 per cent increase since 2000. The fertility rate (average number of births per mother) is currently at 3.55.

Submitted by Friends of Retha


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