Population and Overpopulation

The population of every country is a very important asset. However, as they say, too much of a thing is harmful, and similarly if a country is prone to overpopulation, a great deal of problems result from it. Pakistan is in a similar predicament. With the exponential explosion in population in recent years, Pakistan is suffering a great deal. No matter how the politicians spin the advantages of having more people around, the scarce resources of Pakistan simply cannot handle any more bursts in population.

The first major problem that arises from overpopulation is having more mouths to feed, and such a scenario is potentially devastating for a developing nation. As of 2013, the total population of Pakistan stands at around 185-190 million people which is a lot more than the resources of the country can handle. Although Pakistan has a lot of area to accommodate these people, the thinking of people doesn’t work that way. People tend to cluster in the urban areas of the country which leads the cities to be overburdened and overcrowded. No matter how hard the local government tries to cope with the influx of people in the cities, a developing nation simply doesn’t have that kind of money and resources to see to it that infrastructure and services are provided. Therefore, no matter how large the area of Pakistan might be, the effusion of people to the cities is causing gargantuan problems for the nation.

An increase in population is also not good for the overall per capita income of the country. Developing nations often have limited budgets with which they have to see the country through the year. The money allotted by the government is very thinly spread out over education, healthcare, and infrastructure, and when overpopulation becomes an additional problem inflicted on the national budget, things simply spiral out of control. It is a common sight in the big cities and villages of Pakistan where people are clamoring to get spec inside hospitals to treat their sick, and no matter how big the hospitals may be, there is often no space for the poor people.

Overpopulation also reduces the number of opportunities available for employment. There are fewer jobs available for a growing number of people which results in inevitable unemployment. In a country like Pakistan that is already on the edge, having a job can mean the difference between life and death. Poor people without jobs often starve to death along with their families. Pakistan has no such provisions as Medicare or a dedicated unemployment benefit service, so overpopulation exacerbates this problem.

Thus, looking at the above arguments, it can be seen that overpopulation is a big evil for developing nations across the world, and it causes a lot of problems, both existential and financial. Countries all over the world should dedicate a large amount of money toward promoting family planning and the use of contraceptives to escape this growing problem of overpopulation. Education and awareness are the only ways this problem can be solved, because otherwise, developing nations will ermine immersed in this predicament.