Marriyum Aurangzeb, Minister of Information and Broadcasting, said on Thursday that Pakistan’s total population will likely exceed 330 million by 2050, emphasising the importance of controlling the rate of growth.
“Soon, a national emergency plan will be unveiled to deal with the growing population,” she said during her address to a ceremony held to mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the Population Council.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called a national action task force meeting in this regard for next week, and provinces have been given representation, she said.
In terms of population growth projections, the federal minister stated that the population will reach 260.3 million in 2030 and 330.8 million by 2050.
She also stated that while the world’s total population reached 8 billion this year, Pakistan’s population reached 230 million. “Pakistan’s population has grown from 30 million to 230 million in 75 years.”
According to Aurangzeb, Pakistan is the fifth most populous country.
According to her, Pakistan’s population is growing at a rate of 2% per year, and the government must address the challenges that come with it. She stated that a national narrative on the subject is required.
“If we want a national narrative, then all stakeholders will need to be consulted. The issue should be discussed openly on government platforms. Increasing population is as alarming as destruction caused by climate change,” she added.
According to The News, UNFPA officials stated last week that Pakistan is one of the eight countries where more than half of the global population increase between now and 2050 will be concentrated.
According to officials, Pakistan has nearly 3% of the world’s population and is growing at an annual rate of nearly 2%.
The world population surpassed 8 billion people earlier this month, according to the UN, warning that more hardship awaits regions already facing resource scarcity as a result of climate change.
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