Pakistan, with 40 percent of its population under the age of 40 and 64 percent of it under 30, is the youngest country by youth population globally. According to the UN, this is a potential demographic dividend, especially since much of the world has grown older. This means a lot more of our population can contribute to nation building activities than most other countries. But this is easier said than done. Much practical work needs to be done to realise the potential.

We are the fifth most populous nation in the world. The youth bulge comprises millions upon millions of young persons in search of jobs, and a vibrant economy is needed to meet this need. As we know, Pakistan is one of the poorest and most illiterate countries in the world which implies that for our youth there are fewer education and employment opportunities in the given circumstances.

According to experts, for the growing youth population, the economy must create about one million new jobs every year, for which a sustained growth rate of 6 percent is a must. But the realities on the ground are far from this goal. This raises the issue that our demographic dividend is fast turning into a demographic disaster.

As it is, Pakistan’s economy does not have the capacity to absorb the potential of a growing population. It is not in a position to create job opportunities for the growing youth and provide them adequate resources. Many challenges are associated with the rapid rise of population in Pakistan. Youth unemployment is the most pressing issue linked to the enormous population growth in Pakistan. According to the State Bank, 1.8 million people enter the labor market annually in Pakistan. According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), Pakistan’s unemployment rate jumped from 5.8 per cent in 2017-18 to 6.9 per cent in 2018-19. It will keep accumulating if the prevailing economic situation does not improve.

Needless to say, youth unemployment results in political instability and civil conflicts. According to the report of Population Action International, between 1970 and 1999, 80 per cent of civil conflicts and wars occurred in countries where 60 per cent of the population or more were under the age of thirty.

The most pressing and immediate risk associated with Pakistan’s population growth, as explained by many experts, is youth radicalization. It is overpopulation of youth combined with poverty and shrinking economic opportunities that creates a fertile breeding ground for the militant groups to attract youth to their agenda.

However, Pakistan’s population growth rate can be exploited to speed up economic development by properly educating the youth and absorbing them in the labor market. The population of any country is divided into three wide categories, namely young, working class (15 to 64), and old. The working-class population is considered an asset because it generates wealth and directly contributes to the uplift of the economy. The young and old are considered a liability as they consume more and produce little.

The young people in Pakistan are entering the labor market at a time when the numbers of working-class people are declining in the developed states. Pakistan can export the young labor in the international market to increase remittances. At present, Pakistan receives only about $30 billion remittance annually as compared to India’s over $100 billion. According to experts, Pakistan can generate $20 billion in export revenue from the IT sector alone if our youth is educated and trained for work in this sector.

Pakistan can exploit its youth population as an asset. To reap the dividend from the youth bulge, it is imperative for the country to provide the young generation a decent education and impart them some skills improvement training to make them competitive for the global market.

The future is in our hands. The youth bulge calls for comprehensive long term planning. But no government in the past gave enough attention to this aspect of the problem. It is not yet too late for the government to initiate plans and actions to benefit from the youth bulge. Already we have lost much valuable time. The latest media reports show that during the last two years more than 10 lakh educated and skilled young people left the country in search of jobs. This is alarming. To reverse the trend, the government should provide well thought out job opportunities to youth to persuade them to stay back and engage in nation building activities.