Overview
- The government has revived a National Population Council chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and including senior military representation, a move reported Monday that frames population policy as a strategic, cross‑sector issue.
- Pakistan’s population is cited at about 257.2 million with nearly one‑third aged 10–24, and the Population Projections Report 2023–2050 estimates the total could reach roughly 390 million by 2050.
- UNFPA’s Lives, Choices and Futures survey, drawing on more than 100,000 global responses including about 1,700 from Pakistan, finds economic pressure, housing and job insecurity shape young people’s choices on marriage and parenthood.
- The survey also shows a gap between current and desired family size in Pakistan (women average 1.8 children but prefer 2.5; men average 2.5 but prefer 3.4) and backs rights‑based family planning paired with girls’ education.
- UNFPA and commentators urge urgent, measurable investment in digital access for rural youth and girls, quality reproductive health services and decent jobs, warning that delivery in underserved areas will determine whether the youth cohort becomes a dividend or a burden.