According to a recently released report ‘World Population Prospects 2022’ by the United Nations (UN), Pakistan would see a 56 percent spike in its population by 2050, up from 220 million currently to 366 million.
As per the report, the global population, which currently stands at 7.7 billion, would climb up to 8 billion by the end of 2022.
Even though the overall global population has seen a decline of 1 percent, the population peak would hit in the year 2080, making the global population 10.4 billion. In the earlier studies, the peak was predicted after the year 2100.
The report also credits Pakistan as being one of the major contributors to the population spike. In the 1990s, the country’s population stood at 114 million people and was ranked eighth in the list of the world’s most populous countries. Despite having fertility issues in married couples and lifestyle changes, it has managed to jump to fifth on the list.
At the 8th Midsummer Endocrine Updates Conference of the Pakistan Endocrine Society (PES) titled ‘Endocrinology for the Future’ which was held in May 2022, it was revealed by the health experts that around four million married couples in Pakistan were infertile, and changes in the lifestyle were resulting in low birth rates.
On 11 July, President Arif Alvi in a message on World Population Day shared, “Council of Common Interests (CCI) 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.”
President was optimistic about the fact that Pakistan would take significant measures to achieve its international commitments, and also implement its NAP and CCI’s recommendations by taking on board all the stakeholders and implementing partners.
As per a 2014 World Bank report, a number of Pakistani men were turning towards family planning due to the challenges of raising bigger families.
A 56 percent rise indicates that Pakistan would need to generate more revenue for its education, healthcare, and other governmental expenditures. It is pertinent to know that Pakistan is among the top 10 destinations for refugees and asylum seekers.
Source: Pro Pakistan