ISLAMABAD: The birth rate in Pakistan has decreased from 6 children per woman in 1994 to 3.6 children per woman in 2024, according to the United Nations World Fertility Report 2024.
As per the UN report, targeted interventions to reduce teenage birth rates can bring significant social and economic benefits. These measures can help speed up the decline in birth rates.
In the future, reducing the number of children born will allow governments and families to allocate resources more effectively for the health and welfare of children and teenagers.
When young girls and women avoid having children at a very young age, they can have better opportunities for education, employment, and other life goals.
The report also reveals that in 2024, around 1.8 billion people, or 22% of the global population, live in 63 countries and regions that are in the early or middle stages of demographic transition. These areas are expected to reach lower birth rates after 2054.
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Governments in these areas, which are far from completing the demographic transition, need to strengthen laws and enforcement measures to protect girls’ and women’s rights.
These include laws banning child marriage and those ensuring full and equal access to sexual and reproductive health care, information, and education.
For countries already facing economic, social, and environmental challenges, effectively managing population growth will be crucial.
The report notes that by addressing these issues, countries can create healthier, more productive populations, improve living standards, and ensure a sustainable future for the next generation.
Over the past fifty years, the global birth rate has steadily declined. In 1970, the average birth rate was 4.8 children per woman. By 2024, it has decreased to 2.2. Today, women are having, on average, one fewer child compared to 1990, when the global birth rate was 3.3.
