Report on population: Pakistan’s population to surge by 56pc to 366m- by 2050, says UN

KARACHI: Pakistan is expected to see a 56 per cent increase in population to 366 million individuals by the year 2050. It was revealed in the recently released UN report: ‘World Population Prospects 2022’. The report also projected that the global population, which currently stands at 7.7 billion, will reach 8 billion by the end of 2022.

Despite the declining trend in the overall population growth by one percent, the population peak will hit in 2080, with the world population growing to 10.4 billion. Earlier, the peak was estimated to be hit after the year 2100.

The report also attributes Pakistan as one of the leading contributors to population growth. In 1990, the country, with 114 million people, stood at eighth position in the list of the world’s most populous countries. It has climbed up three spots to reach the fifthfertility issues in married couples and a change in lifestyle.

In May 2022, at the 8th Midsummer Endocrine Updates Conference of the Pakistan Endocrine Society (PES), titled ‘Endocrinology for the Future’, health experts shared that around four million married couples in Pakistan are infertile. There are certain lifestyle changes that are leading to low birth rates. According to a 2014 World Bank report, many Pakistani men showed interest in family planning due to the growing challenges of raising large families.

In his message on World Population Day, which fell on Monday July 11, President Arif Alvi shared: “Council of Common Interests has approved a set of eight recommendations and the National Action Plan (NAP) in consultation with the provincial and regional governments to address the matters related to population in the country inclusively.” The President was hopeful that Pakistan would take every step possible to fulfil its international commitments and implement the CCI’s recommendations and the National Action Plan on population while taking all stakeholders and implementing partners on board.

A 56 per cent increase in Pakistan's population means that it will need to generate more revenue for its healthcare and education budget and other public services. It is also one of the 10 destination countries for refugees and asylum seekers. The country has reported a net outflow of 16.5 million migrant labour between 2010 and 2021.