“Cut your coat according to your cloth.”
LAHORE: With a population of 220 million and a population growth rate exceeding 2.1%, Pakistan is the fifth most populous country in the world.
According to a recent survey carried out by Gallup & Gilani Pakistan, a local social research lab, 55% of the overall sample indicated preference to have three or less than three children. This figure was 64% for the respondents in urban areas.
A sample of men and women from different parts of Pakistan were asked how many children a married couple should have and in response, 1% said one child, 27% two children, another 27% three children, 30% four children, 10% five children, 2% six children, 2% more than six children while 1% say married couples should have no child.
The country’s 35.1 % population is urban which amounts to 77.4 million people in 2020. Pakistan has a significant percentage of young population with those aged 15 or below representing more than 35% of the population. The median age in Pakistan is 22.8 years.
According to official statistics, the country has an unemployment rate of 5.7%. However the actual figures of unemployment and underemployment are estimated to be much higher.
These issues are further exacerbated by rampant poverty which is the case for 80 million people, low literacy rate, narrow mindset and poor governance. In 2017, Pakistan’s total literacy rate was about 59%, with less than 47% of women being literate and more than 71% of men.
This then has implications for the country’s human development. Pakistan is ranked on the Human Development Index (HDI) 2019 at 152nd position out of the total 189 countries. The country’s ranking is lower than all comparable regional countries. Pakistan’s ranking stood at 135% below the average HDI of South Asia including Bangladesh and India.
In addition to measures for better population control and family planning, efforts should focus on the quality and accessibility of services such as education, health and employment. Awareness also is needed to convince the people about the self-evident adage, “Cut your coat according to your cloth.”
Dr Jawad Syed
Published in The Express Tribune, March 10th, 2020.
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