The United Nations Population Fund has called on Pakistan to equip young people with digital skills, decent employment and greater freedom to make decisions about their lives, warning that the country’s future depends on whether its large youth population receives meaningful opportunities.
Speaking at a World Population Day press conference, UNFPA Representative in Pakistan Dr Luay Shabaneh presented findings from the organisation’s new Demographic Futures Survey report, Lives, Choices and Futures. The global study gathered responses from more than 100,000 young adults aged 18 to 39 across 73 countries.
Dr Shabaneh said the survey challenged the perception that younger generations were losing interest in marriage, parenthood and family life.
He said most young Pakistanis continued to value and believe in family life but often faced social and economic barriers that made it difficult to achieve their aspirations.
The wider UNFPA survey found that young adults generally still wanted relationships, families and children, but decisions were increasingly shaped by employment prospects, financial security, housing costs, conflict, climate concerns and other pressures.
Pakistan’s future depends on its youth
The UNFPA representative said Pakistan’s future would depend on the opportunities available to young people, the choices they were permitted to make and their ability to develop their potential.
Pakistan has one of the world’s largest youth populations, creating the possibility of a demographic dividend if young people receive education, healthcare, skills and productive employment.
However, a large youth population can also become a serious development challenge when young people lack adequate education, skills and job opportunities, according to UNFPA’s analysis of Pakistan’s demographic outlook.
Rural youth and girls face digital barriers
Dr Shabaneh drew particular attention to young people living in rural communities and girls who do not have reliable access to the internet. He said digital exclusion made it harder for them to pursue education, acquire skills, find employment and fulfil their personal and professional ambitions.
The UNFPA representative called for wider digital connectivity and targeted programmes to ensure that rural youth, women and girls were not left behind as education, employment and public services increasingly moved online.
UNFPA calls for skills and decent jobs
UNFPA urged the government and other stakeholders to provide young people with practical digital and professional skills relevant to the modern economy.
Dr Shabaneh said Pakistan must also create quality employment that enables young adults to support themselves, plan their futures and make informed decisions concerning marriage and parenthood.
Without stable work and financial security, many young people may be forced to delay or abandon their desired plans for education, relationships and family formation.
Child marriage must be eliminated
The UN representative said ending child marriage and protecting the rights of girls were among Pakistan’s most urgent priorities.
Early marriage can deprive girls of education, restrict their choices, increase health risks and limit their ability to participate fully in economic and public life.
UNFPA has welcomed efforts in Pakistan to strengthen child-marriage legislation, including moves to establish 18 as the minimum legal age for girls, alongside stronger protections for reproductive health and against sexual violence.
Population policy about rights and choices
Dr Shabaneh stressed that population policy should not be viewed simply as an effort to increase or reduce the number of people in a country.
He said effective population policy was fundamentally about human rights, individual choices and enabling people to make informed decisions regarding their health, relationships and families.
The remarks reflected UNFPA’s rights-based position that demographic policies should focus on whether people can achieve their desired family lives rather than imposing numerical population targets.
UNFPA welcomes National Population Council
The UNFPA representative welcomed the establishment and expansion of Pakistan’s National Population Council, describing it as evidence that the government was treating demographic and development challenges seriously.
He also welcomed the reported inclusion of Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir in the council, saying the participation of senior national leadership demonstrated the importance being attached to the population agenda.
The federal government has said the National Population Council will be chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and include the provincial chief ministers to improve coordination on population management and development.
UNFPA has previously described the establishment of the council as an important institutional measure for bringing together the federal and provincial governments.
The body is expected to coordinate the work of institutions including the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination and the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives.
Dr Shabaneh said strong coordination would be essential because population growth, youth employment, education, reproductive health and gender equality were closely connected national challenges.
Survey highlights hopes and structural barriers
The Demographic Futures Survey examines what shapes young adults’ decisions about relationships, parenthood and the future.
Its findings indicate that young people’s aspirations are not disappearing, but their ability to realise them is often constrained by economic uncertainty, unemployment, unaffordable housing, limited services, social inequality and inadequate support systems.
UNFPA said policies must therefore respond to the real conditions affecting young people rather than assuming that changing attitudes alone are responsible for demographic trends.
For Pakistan, the agency said the central challenge was to turn its youthful population into a national strength by investing in skills, employment, gender equality, digital inclusion and the right of every person to make informed life choices.
