Pakistan Sets Goal to Halve Population Growth by 2035

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan’s rapidly expanding population is the nation’s biggest challenge and announced a plan to cut the growth rate from 2.55 % to about 1.25 % by 2035. The federal government will hold a meeting with the four provincial chief ministers, as well as leaders from Gilgit‑Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, to flesh out a National Population Stabilisation Plan for 2026‑2035. The plan will prioritize health, education, youth development, greater female labour‑force participation, vocational training and social safety nets, and will be coordinated with existing social‑protection programmes.

A National Population Council Secretariat is being set up to drive the strategy, and officials said a nationwide public‑awareness campaign will be launched to promote family‑planning and population‑welfare measures. The initiative also aligns with broader development goals and includes a Chinese investment to modernise grain‑storage infrastructure, supporting economic stability.