On the occasion of World Population Day, Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Professor Ahsan Iqbal, reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to addressing Pakistan’s population challenge through coordinated, evidence-based and whole-of-government action, stating that Pakistan’s future will be determined not by the size of its population, but by the quality, productivity and preparedness of its people.
Referring to this year’s World Population Day theme, “Realizing the hopes and aspirations of young people, today and for the future,” the Minister said the theme carries special relevance for Pakistan, where a large youth population represents both a major national asset and a major policy responsibility. He said Pakistan’s population should not be seen as a burden to be managed down, but as human capital to be built up. Every rupee invested in health, nutrition, education, skills and women’s empowerment today, he said, becomes tomorrow’s productivity, resilience and prosperity.
the Minister Ahsan Iqbal said that total fertility has declined from 4.1 births per woman in 2006-07 to 3.6 in 2017-18, while the latest Household Integrated Economic Survey 2024-25 also reports a total fertility rate of 3.6. While this progress is encouraging, he said, the pace remains too slow relative to Pakistan’s development needs. He added that Pakistan’s population reached 241.49 million in the 2023 Digital Census, with an annual growth rate of 2.55 percent, and if current trends continue, the population could exceed 386 million by 2050, placing immense pressure on education, healthcare, housing, employment, water, food security, infrastructure and public finances.
The Minister said population outcomes are governance outcomes. Following the 18th Constitutional Amendment, responsibilities affecting fertility, health, education and social protection became dispersed across multiple levels of government. Pakistan has not lacked policies on population. What it has lacked is a sufficiently empowered mechanism to align all key actors behind one national direction. In this context, he said, the establishment of the National Population Council is a major governance reform.
Ahsan Iqbal said the Council, chaired by Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and bringing together the provincial leadership, AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan leadership, key federal ministers and CDF/COAS with the military leadership, provides the highest-level forum ever assembled in Pakistan on this issue. He said the presence of the military leadership at this table should not be seen as a reflection of institutional failure, but as a sign of how seriously the State now views the challenge. Like other cross-cutting national priorities, population requires a convening platform capable of aligning federal and provincial action in a coherent manner. He said the role of the National Population Council is to turn demographic evidence into coordinated policy and delivery, not fragmented and siloed programmes.
The Minister said population stabilization is not the end goal, but the starting point for capturing a demographic dividend. Pakistan still has a window in which a youthful population can become an engine of economic growth, provided the country gets the policy sequencing right. This means reducing unmet need for family planning, improving maternal and reproductive health, keeping girls in school, expanding women’s participation in the labour force, building skills and creating productive jobs. If that sequencing is achieved in time, Pakistan can convert demographic pressure into economic strength. If it is delayed, the same pressures will become a growing fiscal and social burden.
Ahsan Iqbal warned that the cost of inaction is high and rising. Every year in which population planning is deprioritized is a year in which the window for a demographic dividend narrows further. This is not a permanent opportunity. It is a closing one. He said the real question for Pakistan is whether it is building the jobs, health systems, education opportunities and freedoms that young people need to make informed choices about their futures. Population policy, he said, is not about chasing numbers alone. It is about building the conditions in which young people’s aspirations and national development goals can move together.
The Minister also emphasized that gender equality is central to population strategy. Women’s education, women’s economic participation, and women’s agency in decisions relating to family size are among the strongest drivers of population stabilization and long-term development. He said no country can capture a demographic dividend while leaving half its population behind. Expanding access to reproductive healthcare, family planning, girls’ education and economic opportunity for women is therefore not only a matter of social justice, but of sound economics and effective national planning.
Referring to URAAN Pakistan, Professor Ahsan Iqbal said population remains a priority within the Government’s broader development framework, particularly under the Equity and Empowerment agenda, which focuses on women, children, youth, education, health and human capital formation. He said the Government’s objective is not merely to slow population growth, but to ensure that every Pakistani child is healthier, better educated and better prepared to contribute productively to national development.
the Minister Ahsan Iqbal stated, “Pakistan’s greatest strength is its people, and our greatest responsibility is to invest in their future. Population management is not about limiting people. It is about expanding opportunity. Every child deserves quality education, good health, proper nutrition and a fair chance to achieve his or her full potential. The future of Pakistan will not be determined by the size of our population. It will be determined by the quality of our people.”
On the occasion of World Population Day, the Minister called upon Federal and Provincial Governments, parliamentarians, development partners, civil society, academia, the private sector, media, religious scholars and local communities to support a shared national effort based on responsible parenthood, informed decision-making, women’s empowerment, youth opportunity and sustainable development.
He said that under the leadership of the Prime Minister, and with whole-of-state commitment, Pakistan is determined to turn its demographic challenge into an opportunity for stronger human capital, greater prosperity and long-term national stability.
