“`html

Pakistan’s Economic growth Hampered by Population Growth and Climate Change

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said on Wednesday that unchecked population growth and climate change are hindering Pakistan from becoming a $3 trillion economy.

Pakistan is home to a vast population of over 251 million, according to World Bank figures. In 2023, the population growth rate was reported to have reached around 2.55 per cent. However, almost 45% of Pakistan’s population lives below the poverty line, according to a World Bank report.

At the same time, Pakistan has been ranked as the most vulnerable country to climate change in 2022, according to the Global Climate Risk Index 2025.

“I have been clear right from the beginning that we have two existential issues as if we don’t tackle them correctly … there are two reasons that could derail us from becoming a $3tr economy and those are climate change and population growth,” said the finance minister in an interview on Geo News show ‘Capital Talk’.

Aurangzeb said the former was no longer merely “an academic discussion” but something “we are living day in and day out”,pointing to the onset of the smog season in Lahore and the recent flood which devastated large tracts of Pakistan.

The finance czar said the frequency and intensity of extreme climate events were increasing, adding that he had participated in three forums during the last week that discussed the matter of climate change.