ISLAMABAD: Pakistani youth remain largely optimistic about their future despite the country's economic and social challenges, according to a press release issued Monday by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) on World Population Day.

UNFPA called on the government to place young people at the center of Pakistan's development agenda, urging policymakers to treat them as partners and leaders rather than merely beneficiaries of public policy.

The findings come from the Demographic Futures Survey, based on responses from more than 100,000 people ages 18 to 39 across 73 countries. The report, "Lives, Choices and Futures," examines how young people make decisions about relationships and parenthood.

More than 1,700 Pakistanis aged 18 to 29 participated in the survey. Among them, 76% said they feel positive or very positive about the future. At the same time, 53% expressed concerns about conflict, security, economic insecurity, inequality, and global health and environmental risks.

The survey also found a gap between the ideal and actual family size in Pakistan.

Women reported having an average of 1.8 children but said they would prefer to have more; men also expressed interest in having more children than they currently have.

Among Pakistanis aged 35 to 39, 30% had no children; 65% of those respondents said they would like to become parents.

Dr Luay Shabaneh, UNFPA's representative in Pakistan, said addressing population challenges requires investing in young people as human capital.

"The approach to addressing population challenges is to invest in the skills of young people as human capital," Shabaneh told Pakistan TV Digital.

"I am very happy that the global survey has shown that Pakistani young people remain positive about their lives and hopeful about the future. They still want to become parents and continue playing their role in society."

UNFPA said Pakistan's population, estimated at 257.2 million, includes nearly one-third of people aged 10 to 24, making youth development an economic and human capital priority rather than solely a population issue.

The agency also highlighted digital access as a key driver of opportunity, noting that Pakistan has one of the world's largest freelance workforces, composed largely of young people.

UNFPA called for action in four key areas: expanding youth employment opportunities and digital economy skills; integrating youth-friendly reproductive health services, with an emphasis on birth spacing, into universal health coverage; advancing gender equality and protecting girls from child marriage; and strengthening health systems while promoting dignified work opportunities for women, including in midwifery.

The agency said it remains committed to working with the Pakistan government and its partners to ensure that every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe, and every young person has the opportunity to fulfill their potential.

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Pakistani youth optimistic about future: UNFPA survey

Pakistani youth optimistic about future: UNFPA survey