WHAT ARE THE CAUSES, EFFECTS AND MEASURES OF OVER-POPULATION

IN PAKISTAN?
What is Population?
In human biology, the whole numbers of residents take up an area (such as a country or the
world) and frequently being changed by increases (births and migrations) and losses (deaths
and migrations).
What is Over Population?
The term Over Population or Population Explosion is used to express the idea of more
population for fewer resources.
Population Situation in Pakistan:
According to the economic survey of Pakistan 2010-11, the total population of Pakistan is
177.1 million against the 173.5 million in last year. Population growth rate is 2.1 % and in the
list of most populous countries, Pakistan is at 6th number.
CAUSES OF OVER POPULATION
Following are the main causes of over population in Pakistan:
ALLAH is RAZIQ
Muslims have a solid belief that God gives food to everyone even to an ant living in a stone.
So, why they reduce the size of family?
No or Less Opportunity Cost
71 % Women are not active in economic activities in Pakistan. Women have no any economic
loss while having a child. Opportunity cost for having a child is very low or zero in Pakistan.
Low Per Capita Income
We know that per capita income derives by dividing national income on total population.
Low per capita income shows population explosion. Per capita income in Pakistan is $ 1254.
Unemployment
Unemployment is also a symbol of over population. It is difficult to adjust the huge
population in economic activities. Rate of unemployment is 5.6 % in Pakistan.
High Population Growth Rate
The birth rate is very high which shows that our country is over populated. Rapid growth rate
of population is 2.1 % in Pakistan.

Need for More Earning Hands

A single person cannot sport his large family in developing countries like Pakistan. He thinks
to have more children to be more earning hands.
Afghan Refugees
An arrival of refugees from India and especially from Afghanistan is also resulting in more
population.
Low Death Rate
Reduction in death rate is another cause of over population. Death rate in 1951 was 2.8 %
while it is just 0.73 % in 2010-11.
Low Standard of Living
It is observed that in Pakistan people with low income have more children. It is difficult to
support such large size family. It results in low living standard of the population.
Warm Climate
Due to the warm climate, youth and maturity is attained at an early age. It also results in rapid
population growth.
Absence of Family Planning
Effective family planning is not available in Pakistan. People are not familiar with the
methods of family planning. They feel hesitation to consult a doctor.
Joint Family System
There is competition among the family member in accordance with the family size in joint
family system. It is also a cause for rapid growth of children.
Early Marriages
The marriages take place usually between 16 to 22 years of age in Pakistan. The duration for
re-productivity is very lengthy.
Illiteracy
Due to lack of education, people are not aware of with the economic problems caused by high
birth rate. Literacy rate is 57.7 % in Pakistan.
Inefficient Population
Dependency ratio is very high in our county. Only 32.17 % population take part in economic
activities and other 67.83 % depends upon them. It views as a pressure on land and
population expulsion.

Polygamy Practice
Polygamy is the condition or practice of having more than one wife at one time. The
existence of polygamy also contributes to the increase in population.
Urbanization
Due to rural urban migration and lack of facilities in cities, there are many social problems. It
results in increase in urban population. Higher rate of urbanization is an indicator of over
population.
Low Saving & Investment
The rate of saving and investment of GDP are only 9.5% and 13.4% respectively in Pakistan.
Rate of investment and employment is also very low due to low rate of savings. So these
indicate that Pakistan is over populated.
Poor Nutrition
People in Pakistan get poor diet, which affects the health and working capacity. It reduces the
per capita income, which is a sign of population explosion.
Concept of Large Family
Large family size is considered as a source of power to influence people and to control the
persons around them. People feel pride to have a large family.
Vicious Circle of Poverty
Very high population growth rate reduces the per capita income, saving, investment and
productivity. A country is thus caught up in vicious circle of poverty. Vicious circle of poverty
is also a symbol of over population.
Universality of Marriage
All men and women of marriageable age enter into wedlock. As such the birth rate is higher
in Pakistan.
Absence of Other Activities
There is absence of recreational facilities and employment opportunities in Pakistan. Time
passing and any other enjoyments in Pakistan are very costly. So, people have a more time to
spend with their wives.
EFFECTS OF OVER POPULATION
Low Per Capital Income
The population growth reduces per capita income of the people because national income is
divided by a big size of population. Per capital income of Pakistan is $ 1254 during 2010-11.

Unemployment, Under-employment and Disguised-unemployment

It is impossible to provide jobs to such highly growing population in Pakistan. It results in
unemployment, under-employment and disguised-unemployment. Rate of unemployment in
Pakistan is 5.6%.
Low Growth of Agriculture Sector
Very fast growth rate of population is a pressure on land. It caused to use of agricultural
products at domestic level, increase in the landless workers and shortage of food. Growth rate
of agriculture sector is 1.2%.
Low Saving and Low Investment
The rapidly increasing population increases the expenditure of government. It reduces the
saving and investment. Low level of saving & investment means economic backwardness.
Domestic savings are 9.5% of GDP and total investment is 13.4% of GDP during 2010-11.
High Rate of Inflation
There is more demand for goods due to more population. More demand results in more prices
and inflation in the country. Rate of inflation is 14.1 % in Pakistan.
Pollution
There is not any effective system to control the pollution. Capitalists install industries with
billion dollars of resources but do not install treatment plants of million rupees. The rapid
growth of population creates pollution, unplanned colonies and environment problems.
Backward Social Infrastructure
Rapidly growing population creates economic and social problems such as housing,
education, health, transport, water, power etc.
Vicious Circle of Poverty
Very high rate of population growth lowers the per capita income, which caused in low
saving and low investment that result in low rate of capital formation. All this forms the
vicious circle of poverty.
Low Living Standard
Rising population cannot be provided the basic facilities of life in developing countries like
Pakistan. So, rising population means low living standard. About 21 % population is living
below poverty line.

Adverse Balance of Payment

Over populated nation has to import various items to support a huge population. On the other
hand their export decreases. Due to over population our balance of payment is unfavourable
in case of Pakistan. At present value of deficit in balance of payment is $ 8.3 billion.
Reduction in Wage Rate
High growth rate of population is caused in more labour force and unemployment. There is
absence of skill and training that leads to low wage rate.
Increase in Dependence Ratio
Rapid rise in population growth increases the dependency ratio of unemployed population to
employed population. Labour force is 54.92 million of the population in Pakistan and
remaining population is depending upon them.
MEASURES TO CONTROL OVER POPULATION
Following measures are suggested by the people and experts to check the rapidly raising
population:
Control the Birth Rate
The high birth rate i. e., 2.1% should be discouraged to reduce the population size. Effective
and successful family planning should be introduced.
Use of Medicines
More contraceptive medicines should be introduced to people. By using these medicines;
people will control the birth rate.
Late Marriages
Marriages should take place in late age to control the rapidly rising population. It will be
helpful to control the over population.
Health Centers
Government should open the health clinics in all the regions of the country. These clinics will
be useful for reducing the high birth rate.
High Literacy Rate
Government should provide the more educational facilities to the backward population. This
will provide the true picture of the economy, resources and population growth rate. Literacy
rate is 57.7% in Pakistan.

Women Employment
Only 29 % women take an active part in the economic activities in Pakistan. They live full
time at home and have no opportunity cost to have a baby.
Family Planning
Government should introduce the family planning to the population to control the high
growth rate of population.
Increase in Employment
More employment opportunities must be provided to the young, talented, trained and
educated population. It will be helpful to decrease the fast birth rate.
Provision of Credit Facilities
Government should provide the easy credit facilities to population to adjust the existing
population in economic activities. It will lead to reduce the population explosion.
Growth of Small Scale and Cottage Industries
Growth and development of small-scale and cottage industries is also necessary to reduce the
pressure on land. It will provide more jobs to men and also to women.
Conclusion:
High growth rate of population creates unfavourable effects on the economic
development in the developing countries like Pakistan. High rate of population growth in
Pakistan means poverty, illiteracy, low living standard, absence of prosperity and vicious
circle of poverty.

Best Population Size? - The Big Picture

Population growth is a choice, not an inexorable force of nature.
If we wish to, we can keep our population at sustainable levels. If we don't, the forces of
biology, technology and economics will keep us growing. Our descendants will not see the
stars at night, have the prosperous lifestyles we can aspire to today, know farms and forests,
experience wilderness and the incredible other species on the planet.
The Facts:
More than 7 billion people currently inhabit the planet, compared to only 3 billion in 1967.
Every year about 135 million people are born and 55 million people die, adding 80 million to
our global population. That's about one United States every 4 years, or 1 billion more every
12 years. Almost half of the global population is under the age of 25 and their decisions
during their reproductive years will determine whether we have 6 billion or 14 billion people
by 2100.
Each person uses far more land than the few feet they actually occupy. We use cropland to
grow food, grazing land for meat and dairy, oceans for fishing and oxygen generation, forests
for lumber and carbon sequestration, and developed land for habitation, transportation and
commerce. This is our Global Footprint. For an average European or American lifestyle, it is
10-20 acres per person.
Population growth is a root cause of many environmental and social problems:
These range from life-threatening to simply disruptive. They include:
Over 1 billion people do not have enough food and safe drinking water.
Global warming is disrupting our ecosystems and threatening billions of people with
dislocation.
Energy sources, from wood to oil, are becoming scarcer and harder to reach or extract.
Due to population pressures, people now live in areas that are basically unsafe. Hundreds of
thousands of people died in 2010-2011 because they lived on floodplains in Pakistan or by
the tsunami-prone coast of Japan. These regions were sparsely populated 30 years ago.
Population growth shares complex ties to poverty and inequality, exacerbating the gap
between the wealthy and the poor, and complicating access to Earth's finite resources.
In the U.S. alone, sprawl destroys 2.2 million acres of farmland, ranchland and forest every
year.
Americans spend an average of 55 workdays (2200 hours) per year stuck in traffic.
The solutions are things we should be doing anyway:

As Martin Luther King Jr. said: "Unlike plagues of the dark ages or contemporary diseases
we do not understand, the modern plague of overpopulation is soluble by means we have
discovered and with resources we possess. What is lacking is not sufficient knowledge of the
solution but universal consciousness of the gravity of the problem and education of the
billions who are its victim."
Here are 5 things that will reverse population growth nationally and worldwide.
Empower women and families to plan how many children they want.
About 200 million women in the world would prefer to delay having children but do not have
access to contraceptives and reproductive healthcare. With modern life-saving medicine has
come modern contraception. We need to provide services and accurate information to the
people who really want it, and elect politicians who promise to do so both in the United
States and worldwide.
Education and job opportunities, especially for women
These are critical components for alleviating poverty, gender inequality and overpopulation.
Studies have found that when women have more education and job opportunities, they choose
to have smaller families, and are able to invest more in each child which helps break the cycle
of poverty. Ask our politicians and international organizations to help provide education and
jobs worldwide.
Awareness of environmental and social cost of overpopulation.
Our population is already above a sustainable level, and in many regions well above a safe
and prosperous level. As people became aware of this in the 60's and 70's many people chose
to have smaller families. Kids are truly wonderful, and caring for them is a challenging and
rewarding experience. But parents can keep in mind that every person must be cared for
within the constraints of the local and global environment.
Social norms.
Refrain from pressuring people to have children if they are not ready or prefer to remain
childless. Some cultures value large families. This often suited a sparsely-populated farming
or pastoral region, and sometimes remains as a holdover from those times. Measures can be
taken to model and emphasize the benefits of smaller families. Let's not glorify teen
pregnancy with TV shows and tabloid magazines. Additionally in affluent countries, we need
to shift away from a culture of excess and unsustainable consumption.
Economic forces.
Most people take their economic situation into consideration when planning their families. If
they do not have housing and jobs they delay starting families. Birthrates rose during the
housing bubble beginning in 2002, but when the bubble burst and the 2008 recession began,
birthrates dropped. Better economic policies in conjunction with slowing population growth
worldwide, can help increase global prosperity. Our usual measure of economic progress,
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has a built-in tie to population growth (i.e. more people

means more economic transactions). This means GDP can rise with population while median
household income (and well-being) actually declines! With the wrong measures we set the
wrong goals.
Help spread the word & support the cause!
Donate to support our efforts to tell people we can slow or stop population growth: donations
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There are many things, both large and small, you can do.
Slower population growth is part of a 'virtuous circle' that can help promote equality. Where
family planning is available, where couples are confident their children will survive, where
girls go to school, where young women and men have economic opportunity, couples will
have healthier and smaller families and the gaps that divide men and women, rich and poor,
will diminish. Laurie Mazur (A Pivotal Moment: Population, Justice & The Environmental
Challenge, 2010: page 11)