Vice President of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Sherry Rehman Saturday said Pakistan’s rapidly growing population was emerging as a major challenge for the country’s economy, resources and the well-being of its people, calling for immediate and coordinated measures to address the issue.
In a message on World Population Day, she said the global population had reached 8.2 billion while Pakistan’s population had risen to approximately 259 million, making it the world’s fifth most populous country.
She said Pakistan’s annual population growth rate stood at 2.55 percent, while the country’s fertility rate of 3.6 remained the highest in South Asia. If the current trend continued, Pakistan’s population could reach nearly 390 million by 2050, making timely planning essential, she added.
Sherry Rehman said the rapidly increasing population was placing growing pressure on water resources, food security, healthcare, education, housing and employment opportunities. She stressed that the population issue was not merely about numbers but also about ensuring a better quality of life and equal access to basic services for every citizen.
She urged the government to make family planning an integral part of the national budget, economic planning and development policies to effectively manage population growth.
Highlighting social challenges, she said nearly 40 percent of children under the age of five suffered from stunted growth due to malnutrition, while around 42 percent of the country’s population was living below the poverty line despite limited national resources and the prevalence of large family sizes.
She said population growth was not solely a women’s issue but a concern for every family and the entire nation, with consequences that would affect future generations.
She added that, on average, every couple in Pakistan had one unintended child, underscoring the need for improved access to family planning services and quality healthcare.
Referring to food insecurity, the senator said around 11 million Pakistanis faced severe food shortages in 2025 and warned that unchecked population growth would further aggravate the situation.
She emphasized that controlling population growth was essential to tackling climate change, water scarcity and food security challenges, and called on Parliament, provincial governments, religious scholars, teachers, doctors and civil society to work together to raise public awareness.
Sherry Rehman said that with effective planning, greater investment in people and sound policymaking, Pakistan’s growing population could be transformed into a national strength rather than a burden.
