ISLAMANAD.: Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal has described Pakistan's rising population growth as a national emergency, urging federal and provincial governments to adopt a joint strategy to address the challenge.
Addressing the first meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Population Council on Thursday, Iqbal expressed concern over the renewed increase in the population growth rate, saying Pakistan had taken its foot off the brake and put it on the accelerator.
He said the population growth rate had gradually declined since 1980 to 2.4 per cent but increased to 2.55 per cent in the 2023 census.
The minister pointed out that if the economy grew by five per cent while the population increased by 2.5 per cent, real per capita growth would remain at just 2.5 per cent.
He also highlighted a contradiction in the distribution of national resources, noting that 82 per cent of resource allocation was linked to population size, potentially encouraging population growth. -NNI
