Pakistan will become the fifth most populous country by the Year 2050 with expected population of 342 million, according to Population Council Pakistan projections. According to Population Council fact sheet Pakistan population 2016, Pakistan is currently the sixth most populous country in the world among the top 10 most populous countries including China, India, United States, Indonesia, Brazil, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Russia and Japan.
It said that most of the Islamic countries, such as Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia and Turkey had recognised the negative impact of rapid growth of population on development and have taken concrete measures to meet the challenges. The population growth rate of the Muslim countries was much lower and family planning usage was double than that of Pakistan, it said.
It further said that in Pakistan the total demand for family planning services among married woman was 70 percent but only 30 percent woman in the country were currently using family planning services. Pakistan is leading in population growth rate with 1.89 percent as compared to Bangladesh, Indonesia, Iran, Turkey, and Malaysia at a growth rate between 1.2 to 1.6 percent. Every year, 3.7 million people are being added in Pakistani population.
Director Communications, Population Council, Pakistan Seemin Ashfaq, said the imbalance between resources and rapid population growth was the key issue being faced by the country; resulting in unemployment, poor health indicators and many other social issues. She said that rapid population growth posed serious economic and social challenges in the country.
She said a clear and defined commitment was required from all stakeholders, especially religious scholars, media and political leadership in order to control rapid population growth rate. Meanwhile like other parts of the world, World Population Day was observed in Pakistan on Monday aimed at raising awareness about the problems of rapidly increasing population.
In 1989, the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme recommended that 11 July be observed by the international community as World Population Day, a day to focus attention on the urgency and importance of population issues. This year's theme is 'Investing in teenage girls.'"Leaders and communities must focus on and stand up for the human rights of the most marginalized teenage girls, particularly those who are poor, out of school, exploited, or subjected to harmful traditional practices, including child marriage," United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Executive Director Dr Babatunde Osotimehin said. He said that marginalized girls were vulnerable to poor reproductive health and more likely to become mothers while still children themselves.
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