What does research say about desired family size in Pakistan?
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Direct answer
In PDHS 2017–18, the mean ideal number of children was 3.9 among women and 4.3 among men. Women’s reported ideal declined only slightly from 4.1 in 1990–91, even as measured fertility fell more substantially. An ideal-family-size response is not a promise or prediction: health, income, contraception, child survival and changing preferences affect completed families. Couples should discuss timing and limits themselves rather than assume agreement from a national average, and decisions about pregnancy should preserve informed consent for both partners, especially the person carrying it.
3.9 childrenMean ideal number reported by women in PDHS 2017–18
4.3 childrenMean ideal number reported by men in PDHS 2017–18
Sources used
Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey 2017–18
National Institute of Population Studies and The DHS Program
National survey evidence for marriage timing, women, households and health indicators.View sourcePakistan Demographic and Health Survey 1990–91
National Institute of Population Studies and The DHS Program
First Pakistan DHS wave, used with later waves for long-run comparisons in marriage and fertility indicators.View source