KATHMANDU: Prime Minister (PM) KP Sharma Oli warned that human existence could be at risk if population growth does not occur in tandem with development and prosperity.
He made these remarks at a program organized by the Ministry of Health and Population today to mark World Population Day 2025 and to introduce the National Population Policy 2082 BS.
Emphasizing the need for development to align with population growth and the demographic dividend, Oli stated that childbearing should be regarded as a responsibility toward the Earth.
“Every country has meaning because of its people. As humans, we also give meaning to the Earth. If there were no population, there would be no countries either,” the Prime Minister said, calling for appropriate policies and timely action to safeguard the prosperous existence of the human race.
Arguing that the human race is the most valuable source of creation, he urged people to stop killing others for personal gain.
Pointing out the irony, he added, “Holding seminars on population while continuing to kill people by making weapons of mass destruction endangers the existence of humankind.”
On a different note, PM Oli advised people not to be influenced by a popular song that encourages marrying and having three children by the age of 30 and enjoying life after 40.
The septuagenarian leader instead encouraged everyone to marry at the appropriate time in accordance with the legal provision, which allows marriage only after the age of 20.
Oli’s comments come in the context of a declining population growth rate in Nepal, which, according to the 2021 national census, stands at 0.92 percent—the lowest in the past 80 years, as per the report released by the National Statistics Office in 2024.
He also expressed concern that while efforts to raise awareness about the risks of having too many children were necessary, they have now led to a situation where many are choosing not to have children at all.
PM Oli concluded by stating that since population growth is negative even in many developed countries, the trend could affect the entire world and ultimately threaten the very existence of humankind.
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