Pakistan warned over population surge threatening development goals

KARACHI, Pakistan

Pakistan will struggle to meet its development and GDP growth targets if its current population trajectory continues, senior politicians, economists and development specialists warned on Monday, citing rising pressure on health systems, food and water security, and employment.

Speaking at the Pakistan Population Summit in Islamabad, experts urged the government to build a “national narrative” on population planning.

With more than 240 million people, Pakistan is the world’s fifth most populous country and adds 4 million to 5 million people every year, according to government statistics.

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb called for a “balance” between population growth and available resources, warning that a higher population ratio is straining economic stability and the job market.

Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said the government has placed “stunting and population management at the highest national priority.” “It’s not population size but population quality that drives national progress,” he said.

Pakistan’s rapid population growth is outpacing employment opportunities, with official projections showing the country will require 104 million jobs by 2040, said Hanid Mukhtar, a fellow at the Consortium for Development Policy Research. He noted that low investment levels, indirectly linked to population pressures, have driven Pakistan’s capital-labor ratio below that of neighboring India.

Mukhtar cautioned that Pakistan will not be able to achieve Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 unless population growth slows.

Zeba Sathar, country director for Pakistan at the Population Council, urged the creation of a national narrative on population balance, saying the South Asian nuclear country is “clearly out of balance” compared to its neighbors. “Our growth rate is double that of our neighbours,” she said.