Pakistan launches five-year plan to reduce population growth rate

The government of Pakistan has announced a five-year plan aimed at curbing the country’s population growth rate. The plan includes specific targets to achieve a significant reduction in population growth by 2030.

According to sources, the government aims to reduce the annual population growth rate to 1.1% by 2030. This target is part of a broader strategy to manage population increase effectively and ensure sustainable development.

The Ministry of Planning and Development revealed that the population growth rate was 2.55% according to the latest census in 2023. For the fiscal year 2024, the overall birth rate was recorded at 3.32%. The new plan aims to reduce this birth rate to 2.2% by 2030.

An important component of the plan includes increasing the contraceptive prevalence rate to 60% by 2030. In the fiscal year 2024, the contraceptive prevalence rate stood at 39.36%. The ministry’s data also highlighted that approximately 2.5 million induced abortions occur annually in Pakistan due to the non-adoption of modern contraceptive methods.

Prime Minister has approved the Ministry of Planning’s plan during the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting.

As a reminder, the 2023 census reported Pakistan's population at 241.49 million.