Pakistan devises strategy to reduce population growth

In addition to other economic challenges, Pakistan’s high birth rate is a significant factor behind the country’s slow economic progress. To address this issue, the current government has devised a five-year action plan aimed at reducing population growth.

The federal government has set an ambitious target to increase the rate of contraceptive usage to 60% in order to lower the annual population growth rate to 1.1% by 2030. Authorities aim to reduce the total birth rate to 2.2% by 2030, down from the 3.32% recorded in the fiscal year 2023-24.

Currently, the rate of contraceptive use in FY24 was 39.36%, highlighting the need for significant improvement to meet the new targets. Pakistan experiences approximately 2.5 million abortions annually due to the non-adoption of modern contraceptive methods. According to the 2023 census, Pakistan’s population has reached 241.49 million.

The government’s strategy aims to improve economic growth by addressing population control through increased contraceptive use and reducing birth rates.

It should be noted that birth control programs have always faced resistance from the religious segments of Pakistani society.