'Population in Pakistan likely to jump past 260m by 2030'

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb Thursday said Pakistan's total population will likely to surge past 260 million by 2030 as she stressed the need to control the growth rate.

Addressing a ceremony held to mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the Population Council, she said: "Soon, a national emergency plan will be unveiled to deal with the growing population."

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has summoned a national action task force meeting next week in this regard, and provinces have also been given representation in it, she said.

Providing predictions of the population growth in the years to come, the federal minister said the populace is expected to hit 260.3 million in 2030 and 330.8 million by 2050.

Aurangzeb mentioned that as the world's total population hit eight billion during the ongoing year, Pakistan's populace reached 230 million. "In 75 years, Pakistan's population has reached from 30 million to 230 million."

The information minister said in terms of population, Pakistan is the fifth largest country.

Pakistan's population, she said, is growing at 2% annually, and it is essential for the government to deal with the challenges related to it. She said there is a need for a national narrative on the issue.

"If we want a national narrative, then all stakeholders will need to be consulted. The issue should be discussed openly on government platforms."

"Increasing population is as alarming as destruction caused by climate change," she added.

United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) officials, according to The News, said last week that Pakistan is among the eight countries where more than half of the increase in global population leading up to 2050 will be concentrated.

Growing at an average annual rate of almost 2%, Pakistan is home to almost 3% of the world’s population, the officials said.

The world population surged past eight billion people earlier this month, the UN said, warning that more hardship is in store for regions already facing resource scarcity due to climate change.

Whether it's food or water, batteries or gasoline, there will be less to go around as the global population adds another 2.4 billion people by the 2080s, according to UN projections.