Pak population to reach 342 mln till 2050
The population of Pakistan is expected to reach 342 million in 2050 if the growth rate remains 1.9 percent as it has not completed fertility transition.
The fertility rate has fallen from 6.5 births per woman in 1980s to about 3.8 now but unfortunately it is still higher than elsewhere in Asia.
Addressing a one day workshop on Role of Media in Social Change, organised by Population Council of Pakistan, experts said that family planning is the most neglected component of women’s health in the country.
They said that the use of contraceptives rose sharply from 12 to 28 percent in the period 1991-1998 and moderately increased to 35.4 percent in 2012-13.
Former information minister Javed Jabbar sharing his views said that media has a great responsibility to highlight these key issue as the government does not have enough resources to cater to the basic needs of the population.
“60 percent of our population comprises the youth who can play a vital role in nation building,” he said, adding that our available resources are declining and our population is increasing but people cannot realise the situation due to lack of information.
Sharing his remarks on the occasion, the council’s official Dr Ali said nearly one in five women of reproductive age in the country have an unmet need for family planning, adding that in Balochistan the unmet need exceeds 30 percent.
Seemin Ashfaq, a member of the council said that in urban areas the use of contraceptives of 45 percent while in urban areas it is only 31 percent.
She said education is the main factor which contributes to the use of contraceptives as it creates awareness among people; secondly educated people know from where they can get family planning services and what are the benefits of such services to improve their lifestyle and upbringing of their children. “The third and most important factor is that educated women have strong decision power and they have more opportunities to plan their future,” she said.
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