In 1989, the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme recommended that 11 July be observed by the international community as World Population Day, a day to raise awareness on the urgency and importance of population issues. The decision was sparked by the public interest in Five Billion Day on July 11, 1987- the date on which the world’s population rose to five billion people.
The theme for this year is “Investing in teenage girls.” In his remarks on the day, the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said: “Despite significant gains made in reducing poverty and improving opportunity and well-being for many people around the world, hundreds of millions remain desperate for a chance of a better future. Among the least served by previous development initiatives are girls, particularly those in their formative teenage years.” It is true that many teenage girls around the world face enormous challenges, and many are forced into early marriages, thereby damaging their future prospects. Statistics show that more than 13 million teenage girls around the world are forced by their families and communities into marriage annually.
Even among girls who stay in school, access to basic information about their health, human rights and reproductive rights is not available, leaving them vulnerable to illness, injury and exploitation. It has been found that when teenage girls are empowered, when they know about their rights and are given the tools to succeed, they become agents of positive change in their communities. UNFPA's programmes aim to end child marriage, curb adolescent pregnancy, and to empower girls to make informed choices about their health and lives. In 2015 alone, UNFPA programmes helped 11.2 million girls between the ages of 10 and 19 to gain access to sexual and reproductive health services and information.
There is a special significance attached to the annual observance of World Population Day. The world’s population is rising fast. Despite two world wars, tyranny and famines, the world saw the biggest increase in its population in human history in the 20th century, due to decreasing mortality rates made possible by medical advances and increases in agricultural productivity. The world population is predicted to hit the seven billion mark on 31 October this year.
In the year 1000 AD, the world population was only 400 million. In 1750 AD, 750 years later, the population was 800 million.. The world’s population reached one billion in 1804. It took 123 years to reach two billion. The population grew faster and the next billion was reached in 1959. In 1974, the population reached four billion and in 1987, it reached five billion. The population reached six billion in 1999, and in 2011 it was close to seven billion. Experts say the world’s population will increase by another 4 billion by 2100. Based on the medium projection of the UN, the number of people in the world will reach 8 billion by 2025, 9 billion by 2043, and then 10 billion by 2083.
A challenging aspect of the rising demographic pressure is that most of the population increase is taking place in the poorest countries of the world. A large part of the projected 10.1 billion population at the end of the 21st century is expected from 58 high-fertility countries in Africa, Asia, Oceania, and Latin America. Rising population is closely related to poverty. More than four billion people live in poverty. Estimates say that of the people living in poverty around the world, one billion are children. Earlier this year, it was reported that the world’s 62 richest people now owned as much wealth as the poorest half of the global population, which is more than 3.5 billion people. Taiwan has the lowest poverty rate in the world with only 1.5 percent, followed by Malaysia at 3.8 percent and Ireland at 5.5 percent.
Like other parts of the world, World Population Day was also observed in Pakistan last week aimed at raising awareness about the problems of rapidly increasing population. The demographic pressure in Pakistan is constantly on the rise. According to a recent report issued by the United Nations, Pakistan has been identified as the sixth most populous country in the world, and it is estimated that Pakistan will become the fifth most populous country by the Year 2050 with the expected population of 342 million. According to the Pakistan Population Council, Pakistan today is among the world’s top 10 most populous countries, including China, India, United States, Indonesia, Brazil, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Russia and Japan.
Most Muslim countries, such as Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia and Turkey, recognising the negative impact of rapid growth of population on development, have taken concrete measures to meet the challenge. As compared to Pakistan, the population growth rate in Muslim countries is much lower due to better family planning usage. A report by the Pakistan Population Council says that the total demand for family planning services among married woman in the country is 70 percent, but only 30 percent are currently using family planning services. Pakistan is leading in population growth rate with 1.89 percent as compared to Bangladesh, Indonesia, Iran, Turkey, and Malaysia with a growth rate between 1.2 to 1.6 percent. Every year, 3.7 million people are being added to Pakistan’s population.
Needless to say, the imbalance between resources and rapid population growth is the key challenge facing the country. This results in rampant unemployment, poor health, insufficient nutrition and many other social problems. Rapid population growth poses myriad economic and social challenges. According to a report, 24 million children in Pakistan remain out of school as the government is unable to provide buildings, teachers and other related facilities for the growing numbers. Access to health care for all remains a distant dream while a severe water crisis looms in the days ahead.
For Pakistan, better population management is the need of the hour. A better balance between population and resources is imperative for sustained development and progress. A stronger and healthier society can be built by providing girls with better education and health facilities, ensuring women to have a voice in family decisions, and providing them with opportunities for economic freedom. Laws regarding the legal age for marriage for girls need to be strictly implemented. The religious scholars and the media also have to play a more pro-active role to educate the masses on the deeply entrenched traditional and cultural beliefs that cause families to continue to reproduce without any thought of social and economic consequences.
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