Pakistan business leaders say sustained 6–7% growth needed to avoid crisis as population nears 400 million.

Business leaders in Pakistan said the country needs sustained real GDP growth of 6% to 7% per year to accommodate a population projected to reach 400 million by 2040. Present growth of 3.7% is insufficient to meet future demands for jobs, infrastructure, education, health and housing. The Pakistan Industrial and Traders Association Front founder Mian Shafqat Ali highlighted that a 3–4% growth could only provide temporary stability, not significant improvement in living standards. World Bank data showed Pakistan's GDP in 2025 at about $407.3 billion, per capita income roughly $1,596, and growth 3.7%. To keep the same per capita income with 400 million people, analysts estimated an economy of roughly $640 billion by 2040; higher output would be needed for better standards. PIAF said 2 trillion US$ would be needed to reach a per capita income of $5,000, and 2.4 trillion for $6,000. Another business group official Syed Mahmood Ghaznavi said the demographic challenge should be treated as a planning issue, and that investment in skills and industry can turn the young population into an economic asset. The leaders called for expansion of export‑oriented industries, greater foreign‑exchange earnings, and a clear 2040 roadmap for exports, industrial production, investment, tax collection and productivity. They also urged the government to lower the cost of doing business, improve energy supply, simplify regulations, and provide policy consistency. Higher productivity, they added, is necessary because simply enlarging the workforce will not raise incomes sustainably.