Pakistan faces an existential crisis as rapid population growth continues to strain resources and compromise the quality of life. The country’s population challenges are indeed substantial; however, they are not insurmountable. History shows that nations have overcome far greater obstacles when they are united by sound and inspiring narratives. For Pakistan, crafting and sustaining a coherent national narrative on balanced population growth has become an urgent necessity.

Pakistan’s population crisis has reached an alarming stage and demands sustained attention from successive governments. With a population exceeding 241 million and an annual growth rate of nearly 2 percent, the country is struggling to provide even the most basic services to its citizens. This burgeoning population explosion has exacerbated grinding poverty, unemployment, and resource depletion, turning what could have been a demographic asset into a severe economic liability. Social indicators remain weak: life expectancy at birth is estimated at only 60.5 years among the lowest in the region—while the under-five mortality rate stands at nearly 65 deaths per 1,000 live births. These figures reflect persistent shortcomings in maternal and child health, nutrition, disease prevention, and access to primary healthcare. Projections suggest that Pakistan’s population will reach a staggering 274 million by 2030, further intensifying existing pressures.

Recognizing the ticking-bomb nature of unchecked population growth, a National Population Plan was developed in 2018 at the behest of the Honorable Chief Justice of Pakistan. The plan calls for stabilizing fertility rates across the country. According to the Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (2018), the total fertility rate—defined as the average number of children a woman has over her lifetime—stands at 3.6. This underscores the urgent need to educate individuals and families about the value of balancing family size, prioritizing the quality of life of children over sheer numbers.

Narratives have, for millennia, shaped the ways societies and nations produce and reproduce identities, values, and collective purposes. The desire to live in communities is deeply ingrained in human nature, offering security and a sense of shared responsibility to transcend existing social structures and move toward more inclusive, humane, and supportive environments. In Pakistan, past narratives of population growth emerged from specific historical circumstances and addressed the needs of particular phases of development. While population growth is often framed as a modern crisis, it is also rooted in instinctual and socio-economic realities—especially in tribal and semi-urban areas, where larger families are viewed as economic assets due to rural labor dynamics and structural peculiarities of society.

However, the modern world is driven by innovation and skilled human capital. With changing population geography and an increasingly complex tapestry of social and economic needs, Pakistan must overhaul its existing population narrative. The country must move beyond limited traditional frameworks toward a vision aligned with contemporary realities and future development. The relevance of a new population narrative lies in its capacity to confront the challenge of unchecked growth that depletes resources and undermines the very notion of a dignified quality of life.

Historically, national narratives on balanced population growth have evoked ambivalent—and often negative—responses in Pakistan. Yet recent government initiatives are beginning to bring diverse stakeholders onto a shared platform to build consensus around the need for population balance. Drawing lessons from countries such as Turkey, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Iran, which successfully addressed similar challenges decades ago, Pakistan must pursue a path of balance and mediation to defuse this demographic time bomb. A coherent narrative is essential to foster consensus across provincial, regional, and religious stakeholders, ensuring that population growth remains environmentally sustainable, socially compatible, and economically durable.

Such a narrative must clearly articulate that parents have the right to freely and responsibly decide the number and spacing of their children, provided they can fulfill the fundamental rights of their families. This includes maintaining a balance between family size and available resources. Sustainable growth, in its true sense, is growth in which this tawazun (balance) is preserved. Balanced population growth aims to ensure wellbeing and security—core aspirations of any state and society.

Society must also enhance awareness of the health benefits of family planning, particularly the importance of maternal health. This aligns with the wisdom embedded in Quranic injunctions, such as the emphasis on breastfeeding children for two years. Teachers, community leaders, social media influencers, Pesh imams in mosques, and religious scholars should actively support the idea of balanced family size to help forge an authentic and widely accepted consensus.

Pakistan’s challenges are undeniably immense, but they are not insurmountable. History demonstrates that nationPopulation Growth Narrative Is Imperative

Pakistan faces an existential crisis as rapid population growth continues to strain resources and compromise the quality of life. The country’s population challenges are indeed substantial; however, they are not insurmountable. History shows that nations have overcome far greater obstacles when they are united by sound and inspiring narratives. For Pakistan, crafting and sustaining a coherent national narrative on balanced population growth has become an urgent necessity.

Pakistan’s population crisis has reached an alarming stage and demands sustained attention from successive governments. With a population exceeding 241 million and an annual growth rate of nearly 2 percent, the country is struggling to provide even the most basic services to its citizens. This burgeoning population explosion has exacerbated grinding poverty, unemployment, and resource depletion, turning what could have been a demographic asset into a severe economic liability. Social indicators remain weak: life expectancy at birth is estimated at only 60.5 years—

among the lowest in the region—while the under-five mortality rate stands at nearly 65 deaths per 1,000 live births. These figures reflect persistent shortcomings in maternal and child health, nutrition, disease prevention, and access to primary healthcare. Projections suggest that Pakistan’s population will reach a staggering 274 million by 2030, further intensifying existing pressures.
Recognizing the ticking-bomb nature of unchecked population growth, a National Population Plan was developed in 2018 at the behest of the Honorable Chief Justice of Pakistan. The plan calls for stabilizing fertility rates across the country. According to the Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (2018), the total fertility rate—defined as the average number of children a woman has over her lifetime—stands at 3.6. This underscores the urgent need to educate individuals and families about the value of balancing family size, prioritizing the quality of life of children over sheer numbers.

Narratives have, for millennia, shaped the ways societies and nations produce and reproduce identities, values, and collective purposes. The desire to live in communities is deeply ingrained in human nature, offering security and a sense of shared responsibility to transcend existing social structures and move toward more inclusive, humane, and supportive environments. In Pakistan, past narratives of population growth emerged from specific historical circumstances and addressed the needs of particular phases of development. While population growth is often framed as a modern crisis, it is also rooted in instinctual and socio-economic realities—especially in tribal and semi-urban areas, where larger families are viewed as economic assets due to rural labor dynamics and structural peculiarities of society.

However, the modern world is driven by innovation and skilled human capital. With changing population geography and an increasingly complex tapestry of social and economic needs, Pakistan must overhaul its existing population narrative. The country must move beyond limited traditional frameworks toward a vision aligned with contemporary realities and future development. The relevance of a new population narrative lies in its capacity to confront the challenge of unchecked growth that depletes resources and undermines the very notion of a dignified quality of life.

Historically, national narratives on balanced population growth have evoked ambivalent—and often negative—responses in Pakistan. Yet recent government initiatives are beginning to bring diverse stakeholders onto a shared platform to build consensus around the need for population balance. Drawing lessons from countries such as Turkey, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Iran, which successfully addressed similar challenges decades ago, Pakistan must pursue a path of balance and mediation to defuse this demographic time bomb. A coherent narrative is essential to foster consensus across provincial, regional, and religious stakeholders, ensuring that population growth remains environmentally sustainable, socially compatible, and economically durable.

Such a narrative must clearly articulate that parents have the right to freely and responsibly decide the number and spacing of their children, provided they can fulfill the fundamental rights of their families. This includes maintaining a balance between family size and available resources. Sustainable growth, in its true sense, is growth in which this tawazun (balance) is preserved. Balanced population growth aims to ensure wellbeing and security—core aspirations of any state and society.

Society must also enhance awareness of the health benefits of family planning, particularly the importance of maternal health. This aligns with the wisdom embedded in Quranic injunctions, such as the emphasis on breastfeeding children for two years. Teachers, community leaders, social media influencers, Pesh imams in mosques, and religious scholars should actively support the idea of balanced family size to help forge an authentic and widely accepted consensus.

Pakistan’s challenges are undeniably immense, but they are not insurmountable. History demonstrates that nations have overcome even greater crises when united by inspiring and forward-looking narratives. By actively pursuing behavioral -change communication among youth, intellectuals, writers, academics, and researchers, Pakistan can disseminate informed perspectives on population stabilization. Such collective effort is essential to place the country on a sustainable path toward progress, prosperity, and long-term development.

The writer is Ph.D. in Sociology with Specialization in Family planning. He is working as District Population Welfare Officer lower Dir.Kinanpashauom@gmail.com

s have overcome even greater crises when united by inspiring and forward-looking narratives. By actively pursuing behavioral -change communication among youth, intellectuals, writers, academics, and researchers, Pakistan can disseminate informed perspectives on population stabilization. Such collective effort is essential to place the country on a sustainable path toward progress, prosperity, and long-term development.

The writer is Ph.D. in Sociology with Specialization in Family planning. He is working as District Population Welfare Officer lower Dir.Kinanpashauom@gmail.com