With an annual population growth rate of 2.4 percent, Pakistan has become the fifth most populous country in the world.
According to the data released by the Population Council on the World Population Day, Pakistan has the highest population growth rate in Asia. Data shows that 11,000 mothers die during childbirth in Pakistan every year, while 62 out of every 1,000 children die before they turn one.
On an average, every mother in Pakistan is giving birth to four children. At least 40% of the children suffer from malnutrition and 29% are underweight, the data reveals.
According to the figures released by the Population Council, 18% of all the children under five years of age are not growing. Pakistan will need more than 100 million jobs and 20 million houses every year by 2040.
Due to an increase in the population, the Council said, Pakistan is facing a severe water shortage. Pakistan will need 85,000 more primary schools by 2040, says the Council, adding that one out of every three children in Pakistan is not going to school.
While the population of Pakistan is growing rapidly, India and Bangladesh have managed to control it.
The Council said that only 34 out of 100 couples in Pakistan use contraceptives. On an average, every married couple in Pakistan has one unplanned child. Moreover, 12% of the people aged 20 to 24 do not have jobs in Pakistan.
