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| Pakistani Demographic information |
A Pakistani climate change ministry official warned that rapid population growth is putting increasing pressure on water and public services, and could undermine efforts to strengthen resilience to climate change.
“Demographic pressures are increasingly overlapping with floods, droughts, heat waves and other climate-related hazards,” said Mohammad Saleem Shaikh, spokesman for the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, to the Associated Press of Pakistan on the occasion of World Population Day.
Pakistan’s population is currently estimated at 259 million and is growing at a rate of approximately 2.55% annually. The spokesperson explained that if the current trend continues, the population could exceed 300 million within the next five years and may approach 400 million by 2050.
He added: "Every additional million people needs more water, food, energy, housing, schools, hospitals, transport infrastructure and job opportunities."
He described population growth as a "climate risk multiplier," explaining that increased demand for natural resources coincides with declining water availability and environmental degradation.
Senator Sherry Rehman, Vice President of the Pakistan Peoples Party, stated that Pakistan’s rapid population growth poses a significant challenge to the country’s economy, resources, and the well-being of its people, emphasizing the urgent need for coordinated and immediate measures to address this problem.
