Daily Times

Population pressure has a major effect on the per capita income, health, education, unemployment, inequality, and resource depletion in impoverished nations. Economic results that are favourable to an individual’s tastes and attitudes include more income and well-paying jobs. Pakistan’s population strategy needs to take into account the socioeconomic conditions of the country, emphasising the outcomes of economic policy such as more employment opportunities and female labour force participation. These findings impact fertility and contraceptive decisions by influencing population growth and fertility rates. Because to consumerism, Pakistan’s economy is expanding, yet middle-class and upper-class workers have difficulty finding suitable employment. A sizable peasant class under landlord control and the tiny aristocratic family’s disproportionate control over money impede reform initiatives. Pakistan’s low human development and human capital index, coupled with low school enrolment rates, contributes to high malnutrition, undernourishment, and childhood stunting, with women and children most affected.

While population of Pakistan rapidly increasing, putting it in danger of becoming one of the world’s five most populous nations, with 250 million people and counting. In stark contrast to other South Asian nations with growth rates between 1.0 and 1.5 percent, Pakistan has the highest population growth rate at 2.4 percent in the region. The population of Pakistan has grown by more than six times since the country’s first post-independence census was conducted in 1951. The impact is severe, taxing essential resources, destroying the economy, and overwhelming the social infrastructure. The past few decades have seen an exponential increase in Pakistan’s population because of a number of factors, including lack of public spaces and recreational activities, government indifference, poor population planning, misinterpretation of religion, high birth and low mortality rates, poverty and illiteracy, low prevalence of contraception, child marriages, and conflicts and displacements. According to the UNDP, if the current growth rate is not checked, Pakistan’s population is estimated to reach 403 million by 2050.

In stark contrast to other South Asian nations with growth rates between 1.0 and 1.5 percent, Pakistan has the highest population growth rate at 2.4 percent in the region.

The rapidly increasing number of people has significant negative effects on various aspects of life, such as an excessive demand on resources and available space, unemployment and poverty, food scarcity and water crisis, housing problems, healthcare issues, corruption, an increase in crimes and conflicts, populism and ethnic tensions, terrorism and radicalization, deadly diseases and sanitary issues, child labour, the depletion of natural resources, and environmental degradation.

Pakistan offers a case study of mishandled population growth and disproportionate population density, as the nation fails to realise its full potential. The growing population has led to high unemployment rates, particularly among youth, which negatively impacts the quality of life. The economic burden of accommodating a growing population has contributed to the persistence of poverty, with a large percentage living below the poverty line. The unequal distribution of resources and opportunities in Pakistan has exacerbated income inequality, with a small segment enjoying considerable wealth while the majority struggles to make both ends meet. This income disparity negatively impacts the quality of life. Our healthcare system faces challenges in providing adequate medical facilities and services to its growing population, with overcrowded hospitals, limited access to healthcare in rural areas, and a shortage of medical professionals.

The education sector also faces multi-challenges, with high rates of illiteracy, particularly among women and in rural areas. The country has been struggling to provide educational resources, including schools, teachers, and learning materials so as to improve the quality of life and drive economic growth. The increasing demand for resources such as water, arable land, and energy has led to their overexploitation and depletion, adversely affecting agriculture, which is a significant source of livelihood for a large portion of the population. Rapid urbanization and industrialization have resulted in increased pollution levels, leading to health problems and a decrease in the overall quality of life. Social challenges arising from population growth also impact the quality of life in Pakistan. Overpopulation contributes to overcrowding in cities and towns, leading to increased competition for resources and limited personal space, resulting in stress, anxiety, and reduced overall well-being.

Pakistan faces a low rate of economic growth and an inequitable distribution of gains from economic growth, particularly for the female population. The labour market participation of females is very low, and structural inequalities affect population policy outcomes. Poverty, unemployment, or living in rural areas is associated with lower contraceptive uptake and higher fertility rates. The current political and economic environment may not support the achievement of population goals. Rapid attainment of key goals like lowering early childhood mortality and fertility is unlikely without serious attention to raising the critically low share of government revenues devoted to health and education.

To achieve desired outcomes, economic and social policies need to reduce the exclusion of the marginalized population from socioeconomic opportunities. Designing and implementing population policy separately from economic policy may fail to provide desired results. An integrated approach is needed, focusing on efficient investments in education, health, and skills development, effective policy reforms, and promoting export-led growth backed by public and private sector investments in the manufacturing sector. Governments ought to promote the use of contraceptives more widely, work with religious leaders, improve women’s literacy and education, prohibit child marriages, enact laws limiting the number of children, expand public spaces and recreational activities, raise awareness through the media, provide opportunities, and involve young people in national affairs.

It’s time for the ruling class to acknowledge that the only people who can move a nation towards sustainable development are a small, diverse, and well-managed population. The state of a nation’s human resources is a major factor in defining its future. Sustainable national development is ensured by a dynamic, hardworking, industrious, and productive workforce. All around the world, though, nations have been concentrating on practical ways to both balance and profit from growth. All levels of government must implement practical population control and management strategies in order to address the growing effects of overpopulation.

The writer is a PhD in Political Science, and visiting faculty at QAU Islamabad. His area of specialization is political development and social change. He can be reached at zafarkhansafdar@yahoo.com and tweet
@zafarkhansafdar