Pakistan grapples with population boom

Pakistan's population has surged by 16.3%, reaching 241.5 million in 2023 compared to 2017, excluding Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, indicating a significant population explosion.

The Economic Survey 2023-24 reports a national population growth rate of 2.55%. 

Despite making up about 50% of the population, women's participation in the labor force remains significantly lower than men's. 

Urban areas show a higher growth rate of 3.65% compared to 1.90% in rural areas, largely due to rural-urban migration.

Population density has risen from 260.88 persons per square kilometer in 2017 to 303 in 2023. Additionally, the average household size has slightly decreased from 6.39 in 2017 to 6.30 in 2023.

Between 2017 and 2023, Pakistan's urban population increased from 75.67 million to 93.75 million, making it one of the most urbanised countries in South Asia. 

Nearly 39% of the population now lives in urban areas, impacting various aspects of the economy and development, including labor market opportunities, family structures, education, health, environmental management, security systems, and governance.

The 2023 Population and Housing Census revealed that the urban population is on the rise, with 38.82% currently living in urban areas. 

This trend is observed across most provinces except Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where the urban population decreased from 16.55% in 2017 to 15.01% in 2023. 

In Islamabad, the urban population decreased from 50.37% in 2017 to 46.90% in 2023.

Addressing the issue of women's empowerment, the policy of reducing the gender gap in financial inclusion through the Banking on Equality (BoE) initiative has led to 20 million women-owned active accounts by 2023. 

By 2024, 20% of the bank workforce is expected to be women. Additionally, 10% of branchless banking agents will be women, 75% of bank access points will have trained women champions, and all bank staff will undergo gender sensitivity training by 2024.

Urbanisation in Sindh, Punjab, and Balochistan has increased due to better education, health, and earning opportunities. 

Sindh boasts the highest urban population, rising from 51.89% in 2017 to 53.73% in 2023. 

Punjab followed with an increase from 36.86% to 40.70%, and Balochistan's urban population rose from 27.62% to 30.96%. However, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa saw an increase in rural population due to the merger of FATA into the province.

Due to the scheduled Population and Housing Census 2022, the PSLM Survey was not conducted by PBS in 2021-22. Therefore, figures from the latest survey regarding general and net enrollment rates are used for analysis. The Labor Force Survey 2020-21 indicates that the national literacy rate was 62.8%, a slight increase from 62.4% in 2018-19.

Literacy rates have improved across all provinces, with Punjab increased 66.1% to 66.3%, Sindh from 61.6% to 61.8%, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from 52.4% to 55.1%, and Balochistan from 53.9% to 54.5%.