Prospects for economic growth in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under alternative demographic scenarios: The case for a rapid fertility decline

Authors

David E. Bloom
Zeba Sathar, Population Council
Maqsood Sadiq

Document Type

Brief

Publication Date

2015

Abstract

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) is currently undergoing a demographic transition from a situation of high fertility and high mortality to one of lower fertility and mortality. The resulting bulge in its working-age population means the province is poised to reap a “demographic dividend.” By 2050, KP’s per capita income will be 167 percent higher than today’s levels if there is no decline in fertility, but 412 percent higher if fertility declines rapidly. The scale and effectiveness of efforts to reduce fertility levels in KP will determine whether per capita income in the province grows by 316 percent or by 412 percent by 2050. The possible demographic dividend of a 245 percent increase in per capita income is too huge to be ignored in economic growth strategy, especially given KP’s resource constraints and development aspirations. The findings presented in this policy brief show clearly that, if KP is to harness the demographic dividend, planners must invest at least as heavily in efforts to raise the contraceptive prevalence rate as in interventions to educate, train, and productively employ the youth bulge.

Recommended Citation

Bloom, David E., Zeba Sathar, and Maqsood Sadiq. 2015. "Prospects for economic growth in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under alternative demographic scenarios: The case for a rapid fertility decline," Policy brief. Islamabad: Population Council, The Evidence Project.

DOI

10.31899/rh9.1046

Language

English

Project

The Evidence Project