Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb, speaking at the World Bank’s roundtable on “Transforming Demographic Transition into Human Capital Gains and Job Creation,” held on the sidelines of the World Bank Group–IMF Annual Meetings 2026 in Bangkok, Thailand, stressed the urgency of addressing Pakistan’s rapid population growth and its implications for health, education and employment.
Drawing on experiences from Indonesia, Bangladesh and Iran, he highlighted women’s education, workforce participation and engagement with religious leaders on birth spacing as key priorities. He outlined the establishment of a National Population Council led by the Prime Minister and emphasized coordinated federal and provincial action, sustained political commitment and measurable outcomes to bring fragmented initiatives into a comprehensive framework and translate demographic transition into stronger human capital and employment opportunities.
The Finance Minister emphasized that realizing Pakistan’s demographic dividend requires a skilled workforce and private-sector-led growth that creates jobs. He highlighted freelancing, IT-enabled services and digital skills as opportunities to boost youth earnings and exports, stressing the need for an integrated approach to population, health, education and employment.
