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5 Population Welfare
Introduction
Population welfare plays a vital role in enhancing the health, well -being, and socio -
economic progress of a nation. It focuses on empowering individuals and couples to make
informed decisions about family size, reproductive health, and responsible parenthood through
access to education, healthcare, and family planning services.
In 2025, Pakistan’s federal go vernment
updated its National Action Plan on Population
(2025–30), which serves as the current national
framework for family planning and reproductive
health. The plan aims to reduce the population
growth rate to 1.1%, lower the total fertility rate
to 2.2, and raise the contraceptive prevalence rate
to 60% by 2030. It emphasizes informed family
planning choices, improved service delivery, and
integration of population goals into socio -
economic development. Implemented under the
Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations & Coordination (MoNHSR&C) in collaboration
with provincial departments and partners such as UNFPA and FP2030, the plan focuses on
strengthening supply chains, mobilizing resources, and enhancing coordination between federal
and provincial levels. While there is no standalone “National Family Planning Programme,” these
initiatives collectively represent Pakistan’s renewed national commitment to family planning and
population management.
Despite these continued efforts, high fertility ra tes and low contraceptive prevalence
remain significant challenges. Cultural barriers, gender disparities, and misconceptions about
family planning continue to limit progress. The Government of Pakistan, with the support of
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development partners, is focusin g on integrated population and health strategies to accelerate
progress toward population stabilization.
In alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 3.7 and SDG 5.6), Pakistan
remains committed to ensuring universal access to reproductive health and family planning
services by 2030. Strengthened provincial capacity, improved service delivery, and sustained
advocacy are key to achieving the national objective of balanced population growth and
sustainable development.
This chapter presents analysis on major indicators of population welfare, including Total
Fertility Rate (TFR), Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR), Marital patterns, Family planning
patterns currently used and the number of children ever born to women. These indicators provide
valuable insights into reproductive behaviour, family planning trends, and the overall demographic
transition in the country.
Marriage Patterns & Fertility
Marriage patterns are an important indicator of
demographic behaviour and have direct implications for fertility,
family formation, and population growth. Table 1 & Figure 5.1
presents the percentage of women aged 15–49 years who have ever
been married, by province, age category, and place of residence,
comparing the results of 2024–25 with those of 2018–19.
At the national level, 67
percent of women aged 15 –49 years
have ever been married in 2024 –25,
showing the same percentage as
reported in 2018 –19. The rural
proportion (68%) remains higher than
the urban (6 4%), reflecting earlier
10 48 80 93 96 97 98 12 53 82 94 96 98 98 15-19 years 20-24 years 25-29 years 30-34 years 35-39 years 40-44 years 45-49 years 2024-25 2018-19 Figure 5.1 Percentage of Women Age 15-49 Years Ever Married
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marriage patterns and traditional social norms in rural areas.
Figure 5.1 indicates that marriage patterns among younger women (15–19 years) remains
relatively low, with 10 percent ever married in 2024 –25 compared to 12 percent in 2018 –19,
indicating a gradual rise in age at marriage. The proportion increases sharply among women aged
20–24 years (48%) and reaches 80 percent by the 25 –29 years age group. Nearly all women are
married by age 35 and above, consistent with past trends.
Figure 5.2 presents the percentage of ever -married women aged 15 –49 years across
provinces and region. Sindh records the highest overall level (69%), driven by a much higher rural
figure (73%) compa red with urban (66%). KP & Balochistan both show overall patterns (67%)
and (66%) respectively , the pattern remains consistent, with rural areas (68%) reporting higher
levels than urban areas (63%). Punjab has the lowest overall proportion (65%) and the sm allest
rural–urban gap (66% rural vs. 64% urban), indicating more similar marriage patterns
across regions.
Figure 5.2 Percentage of Women Age 15-49 Years Ever Married by Province
5.2.1 Mean Number of Children Ever Born to All Women & Ever-Married Women
Table 2 presents the mean number of children ever born to all women aged 15 –49 years,
as well as to ever -married women, by province, age group, and place of residence for the year
2024–25.
At the National level, the average number of children ever born to all women aged 15–49
years is 1.9, rural women report a higher mean (2.0) compared to urban women (1.7), highlighting
64 66 63 63
66 73 68 68
65 69 67 66
Punjab Sindh Kp Balochistan
Overall
Rural
Urban
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the continued urban–rural fertility differential. A mong ever-married women the average number
of children stands at 2.9. Rural women report a higher average (3.0) compared to urban women
(2.7).
The mean number of children born to ever -married women increases steadily with age.
Among women aged 15–19 years, the average number of children is negligible (0.4), rising to 1.2
among those aged 20–24 years , and reaching 2.0 in the 25–29 years age group. The number
increases to 2.8 among ever married women aged 30–34 years, and further to 3.5, 4.0 and 4.3 for
the 35 -39, 40–44 and 45–49 age groups respectively, reflecting the cumulative nature of
childbearing over a women’s reproductive span (Figure 5.3).
Across provinces, Balochistan reports the highest average number of children ever born
to all women (2.2), while Punjab records the lowest (1.8). A similar pattern is observed among
ever-married women, where Balochistan again shows the highest average (3.3), and Sindh reports
the lowest (2.7). Rural women consistently report more children than urban women in all
provinces, reflecting persistent urban rural fertility differences. When compared with 2018 -19,
significant decline in average from 4 to 3.4 for age group 35-39, 4.7 to 3.9 for age group 40 -44
and 5.0 to 4.0 for age group 45-49, is indicating the preference for smaller family size.
.4 1.3 2.1 2.8 3.4 3.9 4.0 0.4 1.2 2.2 3.1 4.0 4.7 5.0 15-19 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 Age Categories 2024-25 2018-19 Figure 5.3 Mean Number of children born to ever married women aged 15-49
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5.2.2 Total Fertility Rate Table-3 presents the Age-Specific Fertility Rates (ASFR) and Total Fertility Rate (TFR) for women aged 15– 49 years by region and residence. The fertility pattern shows that childbearing is highest among women aged 25–29 years, with rates of 181 (urban) & 218 (rural) births per 1,000 women. Fertility gradually declines after age 30, dropping to 39 births among women aged 40–44 and 18 among those aged 45–49. The Total fertility rate (TFR) for period of (2021-2023) is estimated at 3.6 children per woman , with a notable rural urban gap 4.1 in rural areas compared to 3.0 in urban . This pattern is consistent with previous HIES rounds (2018–19) for period of (2015–2017), though a slight overall decline is observed, reflecting gradual progress in fertility reduction, particularly in urban regions.
Awareness and Use of Family Planning Practicing family planning plays a crucial role in improving maternal and child health, empowering couples to make informed reproductive decisions, and contributing to sustainable 3 4.1 3.6 3.1 4.2 3.7 URBAN RURAL TOTAL 2024-25 2018-19 Figure 5.4 Total Fertility Rate
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population growth. This survey examines the extent of awareness and utilization of contraceptive
methods among currently married women, highlighting patterns of use , preferences, and
influencing factors such as education, socio -economic conditions, cultural attitudes, and
availability of health services. The findings aim to support evidence-based policy interventions for
strengthening family planning initiatives and promoting overall reproductive well-being.
5.3.1 Knowledge about Family Planning Methods
Overall awareness among currently married women aged 15 –49 years remains stagnant,
with 99% of women reporting knowledge of family
planning methods 2024–25 compared to provincial
Round 2018–19 (Table 4). Awareness continues to be
higher in urban areas (100%) than in rural areas (99%).
Provincial analysis shows that awareness is highest in
Sindh (100%) followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
(99%) & Punjab (99%), while Balochistan (96%) lags
significantly behind, marking an increase from 94% in
2018–19.
5.3.2 Ever Used
The proportion of women who have ever
used any family planning method has
slightly increased at the national level from
43% in 2018–19 to 45% in 2024–25 as per
(Table 4 & F igure 5.5 ). Urban women
(51%) are more likely to have ever used a
method than rural women (41%). Among
provinces, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa shows
the highest rate (49%), followed by Punjab
(48%), Sindh (38%) , and Balochistan
(30%). Notably, Balochistan reflects the
48 38 49 30 47 36 47 17 Punjab Sindh KP Balochistan 2024-25 2018-19 Figure 5.5 Ever use of Family Planning Method
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most significant improvement from 17% in 2018–19 to 30% in 2024–25.
5.3.3 Currently Using Family Planning - Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR)
The current use of family planning methods at national level has increased from 34% in 2018–19 to 38% in 2024–25, reflecting a rise of 4 percentage points (Table 4).
The urban–rural gap persists, with 44% of urban and 34% of rural women currently using contraceptives. Among provinces, Punjab has the highest current use rate (43%), followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (36%) , Sindh (31%) , and Balochistan (22%) . All provinces show improvements over 2018 –19 levels, particularly Khyber Pakhtunkhwa & Balochistan, indicating enhanced progress in contraceptive adoption.
100 99 99 51 41 4544 34 38 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 Urban Rural Total Know About Ever Used Currently Used Figure 5.6: Current use of Family Planning Method Figure 5.7:Awareness about Family Planning Method 43 31 36 22 39 30 31 14 Punjab Sindh KP Balochistan 2024-25 2018-19
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5.3.4 Profile of Women Currently using Contraception:
Use of contraceptives is needed for long birth intervals and fewer births to older and very young mothers to reduce the maternal mortality and improve reproductive health of women. Table 6 shows that the current use of family planning methods increases steadily with age, reaching its highest level among women aged 35 –44 years. The lowest use is observed among women aged 15–19 years (6%) , as these age groups generally include newly married women who are more likely to desire pregnancy soon after marriage and may therefore be less inclined to use family planning methods.
However, it is encouraging to note that the current use of contraceptives has increased among women in all age groups except aged 40–44 in 2024–25 compared to 2018–19. Overall, contraceptive use tends to rise with age, as older women are more likely to have achieved their desired family size and thus adopt family planning methods to limit or space further births.
6 18 30 40 48 48 44 5 14 27 38 47 49 38 15-19 years 20-24 years 25-29 years 30-34 years 35-39 years 40-44 years 45-49 years 2024-25 2018-19 Figure 5.8:Use of CPR- By Age Category