Pakistan unveils five-year plan to reduce population growth rate

ISLAMABAD: The government of Pakistan has unveiled a five-year plan aimed at curbing the rate of population growth in the country, here on Tuesday.

As per the details, the plan includes specific targets to achieve significant population reductions by 2030.

According to reports, the government’s target is to reduce the annual population growth rate to 1.1 percent by 2030. This target is part of a broader strategy to effectively manage population growth and ensure sustainable development.

The Ministry of Planning and Development revealed that the population growth rate was 2.55 percent as per the latest census of 2023. The total birth rate for the fiscal year 2024 was recorded at 3.32 percent. The new plan aims to reduce this birth rate to 2.2 percent by 2030.

A key component of the plan includes increasing contraceptive penetration rates to 60 percent by 2030. In FY 2024, the contraceptive prevalence rate stood at 39.36 percent.

The ministry’s data also highlighted that nearly 2.5 million induced abortions occur annually in Pakistan due to non-adoption of modern contraceptive methods.

The Prime Minister approved the plan of the Ministry of Planning in the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting.

As a reminder, the population of Pakistan in the 2023 census was estimated at 241.49 million.