WASHINGTON: Pakistan’s present population of 103 million people will triple by the year 2000 if the current growth rate continues, according to a report released by the Population Reference Bureau.

The Bureau, a privately financed American organisation, reported on Pakistan’s population growth in one of its periodic “population profile” studies. The report described Pakistan as “a poor and crowded country struggling valiantly for economic betterment”, and commented: “Pakistan can ill afford such a disruptive rate of population growth.”

The report said Pakistan’s standard of living, as measured by its annual per capita income, was among the world’s lowest.

“A very small fraction of Pakistan’s millions is well-housed and well-fed. Only one per cent has a high school education. Eight out of every 10 persons are unable to read a sentence in any language. Pakistanis under 15 years of age now comprise 45 per cent of the population. This large group of children reduces the proportion of productive manpower and comprises a voracious group of consumers whose needs must be met if they are to become healthy, useful citizens.”

The Pakistan Government, the Bureau said, was dedicated to a programme of economic and family planning and was “stepping up its efforts to grapple with the inter-related problems of poverty and high fertility”.

Pakistan’s present population of 103 million puts it in approximately a fifth-place tie with Indonesia among the world’s population giants behind China (700 million), India (474 million), Soviet Union (231 million) and the United States (194 million).

Published in Dawn, April 26th, 2015

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