CePwS NUST

CePwS NUST A dedicated population and demographic studies research centre housed at NUST, H-12, Islamabad.

๐–๐ก๐š๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ๐ญ๐š๐ฅ ๐Ÿ๐ž๐ซ๐ญ๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ซ๐ž๐ง๐๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐š๐ค๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐š๐ง ๐ญ๐ž๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐ฎ๐ฌ?Fertility rates in Pakistan have declined over time, but a clear urbanโ€“...
20/01/2026

๐–๐ก๐š๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ๐ญ๐š๐ฅ ๐Ÿ๐ž๐ซ๐ญ๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ซ๐ž๐ง๐๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐š๐ค๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐š๐ง ๐ญ๐ž๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐ฎ๐ฌ?
Fertility rates in Pakistan have declined over time, but a clear urbanโ€“rural gap persists. Urban areas have consistently had lower fertility rates than rural areas from last three decades (1990 to 2018). While both urban and rural fertility have decreased, the decline has been faster in urban areas, reflecting greater exposure to education, media, and family planning services. In contrast, rural fertility remains comparatively high, mainly due to limited access to services and traditional family size preferences. Overall, the graph highlights a steady fertility decline in Pakistan, with urban areas leading the transition and rural areas lagging behind.

NUST, UNFPA Pakistan, UN Women Pakistan, Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations & Coordination Islamabad, Population Research Center-FCCU, BUITEMS QUETTA, IBA Karachi, Population Council

๐–๐ก๐ฒ ๐ข๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ฏ๐จ๐ญ๐š๐ฅ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ ๐š๐ฉ ๐›๐ž๐ญ๐ฐ๐ž๐ž๐ง ๐š๐œ๐ญ๐ฎ๐š๐ฅ ๐š๐ง๐ ๐๐ž๐ฌ๐ข๐ซ๐ž๐ ๐Ÿ๐ž๐ซ๐ญ๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐š๐ค๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐š๐ง?Because it shows why many women are...
20/01/2026

๐–๐ก๐ฒ ๐ข๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ฏ๐จ๐ญ๐š๐ฅ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ ๐š๐ฉ ๐›๐ž๐ญ๐ฐ๐ž๐ž๐ง ๐š๐œ๐ญ๐ฎ๐š๐ฅ ๐š๐ง๐ ๐๐ž๐ฌ๐ข๐ซ๐ž๐ ๐Ÿ๐ž๐ซ๐ญ๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐š๐ค๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐š๐ง?
Because it shows why many women are unable to achieve their preferred family size. Globally, this gap has narrowed in countries with better access to contraception, higher gender equality, and greater female empowerment, while it remains wider in many developing countries, including Pakistan. In Pakistan, desired fertility has fallen significantly, but actual fertility remains high, creating a persistent gap. Provincial data indicate that this gap varies across regions, with smaller differences in Punjab and Sindh, and larger gaps in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, ICT, and particularly Balochistan. Of note, these patterns highlight ongoing structural and behavioral barriers that prevent women from turning their fertility preferences into reality.

UNFPA Pakistan, Population Council, BUITEMS QUETTA,
NUST, Population-Association Of-Pakistan, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, UN Women Pakistan, World Health Organization (WHO)

๐–๐ก๐š๐ญ ๐–๐ž ๐ƒ๐จ ๐š๐ญ ๐‚๐ž๐๐ฐ๐’ | ๐“๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง๐ข๐ง๐  ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐‘๐ž๐ฌ๐ž๐š๐ซ๐œ๐ก ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐จ ๐ˆ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐š๐œ๐ญThe Centre of Excellence on Population and Wellbeing Studie...
19/01/2026

๐–๐ก๐š๐ญ ๐–๐ž ๐ƒ๐จ ๐š๐ญ ๐‚๐ž๐๐ฐ๐’ | ๐“๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง๐ข๐ง๐  ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐‘๐ž๐ฌ๐ž๐š๐ซ๐œ๐ก ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐จ ๐ˆ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐š๐œ๐ญ
The Centre of Excellence on Population and Wellbeing Studies (CePwS) advances evidence-based research to address Pakistanโ€™s key population and development challenges. We conduct multidisciplinary research on family wellbeing, health, education, poverty, migration, urbanization, governance, and climate change, while assessing public policies for improved outcomes. CePwS strengthens capacity through teaching and training in demography and population studies, fostering national and international academic collaborations. Through data-driven policy engagement and advocacy, we translate research into actionable insights, support informed decision-making, and promote population research for sustainable development and wellbeing in Pakistan.

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๐“๐ข๐ญ๐ฅ๐ž: ๐ˆ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐š๐ง๐œ๐ž ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐…๐ž๐ฆ๐š๐ฅ๐ž ๐„๐๐ฎ๐œ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ข๐ง ๐…๐ž๐ซ๐ญ๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐Œ๐š๐ง๐š๐ ๐ž๐ฆ๐ž๐ง๐ญThe Importance of (Female) Education in Fertility Managemen...
16/01/2026

๐“๐ข๐ญ๐ฅ๐ž: ๐ˆ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐š๐ง๐œ๐ž ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐…๐ž๐ฆ๐š๐ฅ๐ž ๐„๐๐ฎ๐œ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ข๐ง ๐…๐ž๐ซ๐ญ๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐Œ๐š๐ง๐š๐ ๐ž๐ฆ๐ž๐ง๐ญ

The Importance of (Female) Education in Fertility Management is a chapter of SPPR 2025 written by Said Farooq Shah and Muhammad Iqbal. This chapter highlights the critical role of female education in managing fertility and promoting sustainable development in Pakistan. Nearly half of women aged 15โ€“49 remain illiterate, contributing to early marriage, high fertility, and poor health outcomes. Evidence shows that higher levels of female education are strongly associated with delayed marriage, lower fertility rates, improved contraceptive use, and greater decision-making power. However, girls face persistent barriers such as poverty, early marriage, cultural norms, and lack of gender-sensitive school infrastructure. The chapter calls for targeted investments in girlsโ€™ education, reproductive health education, conditional cash transfers, and stronger institutional coordination to achieve demographic dividends and gender equity.

For details, read the policy brief: Importance of Female Education in Fertility Management
For details of the chapter, follow the link of SPPR-2025: https://lnkd.in/d-bB7-uB

NUST, UNFPA Pakistan, BUITEMS QUETTA, IBA Karachi, Population Research Center-FCCU, Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training Pakistan, Higher Education Commission, Pakistan, KP Elementary & Secondary Education Department,

๐“๐ข๐ญ๐ฅ๐ž: ๐ƒ๐ข๐ ๐ข๐ญ๐š๐ฅ ๐ƒ๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ž ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ƒ๐ž๐ฆ๐จ๐ ๐ซ๐š๐ฉ๐ก๐ข๐œ ๐ˆ๐ง๐œ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง: ๐€ ๐’๐ฎ๐›-๐๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐š๐ฅ ๐€๐ง๐š๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฌDigital access is no longer a luxury; it is a ga...
14/01/2026

๐“๐ข๐ญ๐ฅ๐ž: ๐ƒ๐ข๐ ๐ข๐ญ๐š๐ฅ ๐ƒ๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ž ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ƒ๐ž๐ฆ๐จ๐ ๐ซ๐š๐ฉ๐ก๐ข๐œ ๐ˆ๐ง๐œ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง: ๐€ ๐’๐ฎ๐›-๐๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐š๐ฅ ๐€๐ง๐š๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฌ
Digital access is no longer a luxury; it is a gateway to opportunity and inclusion. This is the topic of exploration of the chapter authored by Dr. Akhter Ali, which shows that Pakistanโ€™s digital divide is shaped by geography, gender, income, education, and age. While urban areas enjoy strong connectivity, rural and remote regions remain largely underserved. Women, low-income households, and older adults face additional barriers due to cultural norms, affordability, and low digital literacy. These gaps restrict access to education, healthcare, economic opportunities, and e-governance. Bridging this divide through inclusive infrastructure, digital literacy programs, and gender-sensitive policies is crucial for equitable development. Digital access can be one form of realizing women's empowerment and fertility transition in Pakistan in general and rural Pakistan in particular.

For details, read the policy brief: Digital Divide and Demographic Inclusion: A Sub-National Analysis
For details of the chapter, follow the link of SPPR-2025: https://lnkd.in/d-bB7-uB

NUST, UNFPA Pakistan, Population Council, BUITEMS QUETTA, IBA Karachi, Population Research Center-FCCU, UN Women Pakistan, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations & Coordination Islamabad, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Pakistan,

CePwS envisions a productive and prosperous Pakistan where every individualโ€™s potential is fully realized. Together, we ...
14/01/2026

CePwS envisions a productive and prosperous Pakistan where every individualโ€™s potential is fully realized. Together, we strive for sustainable development through knowledge, empowerment, and informed choices.

๐“๐ข๐ญ๐ฅ๐ž: ๐‘๐ž๐š๐ฅ๐ข๐ณ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐‘๐ž๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐๐ฎ๐œ๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ž ๐€๐ฎ๐ญ๐จ๐ง๐จ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐š๐ค๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐š๐งWhy, despite international agreements, reproductive autonomy in Pakist...
14/01/2026

๐“๐ข๐ญ๐ฅ๐ž: ๐‘๐ž๐š๐ฅ๐ข๐ณ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐‘๐ž๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐๐ฎ๐œ๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ž ๐€๐ฎ๐ญ๐จ๐ง๐จ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐š๐ค๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐š๐ง
Why, despite international agreements, reproductive autonomy in Pakistan remains restricted and uneven. In his chapter for the SPPR-2025 Report, Dr. MUHAMMAD IRFAN MALIK and Dr. Muhammad Nadeem, state that while later marriages, increased contraceptive use, and improved maternal health services signal progress, deep disparities persist across urbanโ€“rural areas, education levels, and income groups. Child marriage, gender-based violence, weak family planning counselling, and limited decision-making power continue to restrict womenโ€™s informed reproductive choices. The chapter and brief underscore that womenโ€™s education, economic empowerment, and stronger health systems, alongside reliable family planning services, are essential to translating policy commitments into genuine reproductive freedom, especially for marginalized women.

For details, read policy brief: Realizing Reproductive Autonomy in Pakistan
For details of the chapter, follow the link of SPPR-2025: https://lnkd.in/d-bB7-uB

NUST, UNFPA Pakistan, Population Council, BUITEMS QUETTA, IBA Karachi, Population Research Center-FCCU, UN Women Pakistan, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations & Coordination Islamabad, Ministry of Human Rights,

How environmental pollution, particularly from brick kilns, affect maternal health, reproductive, and family planning ou...
13/01/2026

How environmental pollution, particularly from brick kilns, affect maternal health, reproductive, and family planning outcomes in Pakistan? This topic is taken care of in a chapter of SPPR 2025 written by Dr. Hira Iqbal and Dr. Maqsood Aslam. This chapter highlights the need for strong air qualities law enforcement, cleaner kiln technologies, expanded maternal health services in polluted regions, and sustained investment in women's education because healthier environments lead to healthier mothers and families.

For details, read the policy brief: Urban and Rural Infrastructures
For details of the chapter, follow the link of SPPR-2025: https://lnkd.in/d-bB7-uB

NUST, UNFPA Pakistan, Population Council, BUITEMS QUETTA, IBA Karachi, Population Research Center-FCCU, Population-Association Of-Pakistan, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations & Coordination Islamabad, Ministry of Climate Change, Govt of Pakistan

The Urban and Rural Infrastructure is a chapter of SPPR 2025, which is written by Yalmaz Alam, Ghania Yasir, and Mohamma...
13/01/2026

The Urban and Rural Infrastructure is a chapter of SPPR 2025, which is written by Yalmaz Alam, Ghania Yasir, and Mohammad Ali. This chapter shows how rural women face compounded barriers in education, healthcare, and reproductive autonomy due to persistent urbanโ€“rural gaps and patriarchal norms. The author recommended that closing this gap through gender-sensitive investments is essential for education, maternal healthcare, lowering fertility, and achieving sustainable development. According to the authors; Empowering rural women is key to Pakistanโ€™s future.

For details, read policy brief: Urban and Rural Infrastructures
For details of the chapter, follow the link of SPPR-2025: https://lnkd.in/d-bB7-uB

NUST, UNFPA Pakistan, Population Council, BUITEMS QUETTA, IBA Karachi, Population Research Center-FCCU
Population-Association Of-Pakistan, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics

Moving Towards a Progressive NFC Formula to Achieve Pakistanโ€™s Development Goalsโ€ is the topic of a chapter in SPPR 2025...
12/01/2026

Moving Towards a Progressive NFC Formula to Achieve Pakistanโ€™s Development Goalsโ€ is the topic of a chapter in SPPR 2025 authored by the honorable Dr. Ashfaque Hasan Khan, Director General, NUST Institute of Policy Studies (NIPS). This chapter critically examines Pakistanโ€™s National Finance Commission (NFC) award framework historically and its link with population, highlighting how its excessive reliance on population as the primary criterion for fiscal transfers has shaped interprovincial resource distribution. The chapter shows that overdependence on population has politicized census outcomes, influenced interprovincial resource distribution, and faded incentives for development and governance. The chapter argues for a progressive NFC formula that reduces the weight of population and incorporates performance-based indicators such as income gaps, human development, demographic performance, and tax effort, among others. Of note, Dr. Ashfaque Hasan Khan emphasizes that improving census credibility and ensuring strong institutional accountability are crucial for promoting equitable and sustainable development across Pakistan.

For details, read policy brief: Towards a Progressive NFC Formula to Achieve Pakistanโ€™s Development Vision
For details of the chapter, follow the link of SPPR-2025: https://lnkd.in/d-bB7-uB
NUST, UNFPA Pakistan, UNFPA, Population Council, BUITEMS QUETTA, Population-Association Of-Pakistan, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, Ministry of Finance, Government of Pakistan, Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives

How Far from Resilience? An Assessment of Pakistanโ€™s Population is a chapter in SPPR 2025 written by Dr. Muhammad Ali, A...
12/01/2026

How Far from Resilience? An Assessment of Pakistanโ€™s Population is a chapter in SPPR 2025 written by Dr. Muhammad Ali, Associate Professor at the National University of Sciences and Technology in Islamabad, Pakistan. This chapter explores Pakistanโ€™s population resilience by analyzing demographic transitions, institutional challenges, health and education access, and climate vulnerability. They use demographic predictions to explain how fertility rates influence population growth, age structure, and long-term sustainability. Findings highlight that high fertility threatens sustainability, while very low fertility increases old-age dependency, and Pakistanโ€™s low health and education investments trap it in vulnerability. It is suggested by Dr. Muhammad Ali that sustainable population resilience requires fertility between 2 and 2.5, with greater sectoral investments and clear institutional accountability.

For details, read this policy brief: How Far from Resilience? An Assessment of Pakistanโ€™s Population
For details of her chapter, follow the link of SPPR-2025: https://lnkd.in/d-bB7-uB

Cepws Nust, NUST, UNFPA, UNFPA Pakistan, Population Council, UN Women Pakistan, BUITEMS QUETTA, Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations & Coordination Islamabad, UN Women Pakistan, Population-Association Of-Pakistan, BENAZIR Income support program, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, World Health Organization (WHO).

Women Empowerment and family planning is the most prominent development policy discussion across Pakistan. In State of P...
09/01/2026

Women Empowerment and family planning is the most prominent development policy discussion across Pakistan. In State of Pakistan Population Report 2025 Dr Nabeel ul haq, Director of the Population Research Center, BUITEMS, Quetta Balochistan argues that Pakistanโ€™s serious fertility challenges are driven by rapid population growth and emphasizes that effective family planning can reduce fertility pressures while enhancing womenโ€™s education, employment opportunities, and decision-making power. However, despite these benefits, the uptake of family planning services remains low due to weak service delivery systems and persistent social, cultural, and gender-based barriers. in his chapter on Empowerment, Access, and Provincial Targeting: Increasing Family Planning Use in Pakistanโ€ Dr Nabeel ul haq emphasizes that addressing these barriers requires targeted policy interventions that focus on both accessibility and awareness. Community engagement and inclusive programs can empower women to make informed reproductive choices. Strengthening healthcare infrastructure and training frontline workers are essential to improving service delivery and increasing uptake.

For details, read this policy brief: Advancing Family Planning Uptake in Pakistan: Empowerment, Access, and Provincial Targeting

For details of her chapter, follow the link of SPPR-2025: https://lnkd.in/d-bB7-uB

Cepws Nust, NUST, UN Women Pakistan, UNFPA Pakistan, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, HANDS Welfare Foundation, Population Council, UNFPA Pakistan, Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations & Coordination Islamabad, BISP Pakistan,

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