About the Population Research Centre

The Population Research Center (PRC) is primarily aimed at providing world-class research on population issues and conducting public outreach programs to raise awareness and to help improve policymaking to achieve a stable and healthy society with equal opportunities and human development.

Our main research areas are as following:

• Population health with a special focus on maternal and child health
• Family planning
• Human development
• Causes and consequences of demographic changes
• Inequality and wealth
• Data and methodologies for demographic analysis

Population Research Center (PRC) operations include coordinating, collecting, and analyzing data on population by liaising with different governmental organizations that are responsible for conducting census and other surveys to collect demographic information.

We provide an avenue for graduates and ardent researchers, belonging to a diverse set of backgrounds, to come together and collaborate by discussing various issues regarding population. Projects related to the above-mentioned research fields are assigned with the aim of identifying issues and proposing recommendations for actionable policy. 

The center also aims to play a pivotal role in the capacity building of researchers, practitioners, and emerging demographers in Pakistan by offering short courses in modern demographic methods and tools, including, Spatial and Environmental Demography, Population Modeling, Digital and Computational Demography, Economic and Social Demography and Social Epidemiology.

Lastly, with the current situation of Covid-19, resources are also being provided to health agencies and relevant NGOs in terms of data and summarized analysis on current state of health. Research is being conducted on how the pandemic has changed the demographics along with its consequences. This is being done with the aim of identifying gaps and shortfalls involving hospital availability, system of rationing spaces, affordability and costs, response time, and access to critical health facilities.

PRC Objectives 

• To expand high-quality research in the subject area. 
• To conduct participatory research by engaging local priorities and perspectives and streamlining the research and development process. 
• To provide the support for the relevant sustainable development goals including no poverty, zero hunger, decent health and well-being, gender equality, quality education, social inclusiveness and climate action.
• To serve as a central database for population, health, and other socioeconomic features, as well as capacity building in academics, research scholars, and students.
• To prepare questionnaires, surveys and experiments for better understanding of the subject and for providing support to the researchers to share expertise on demographic-related issues with independent research organizations, academic institutions, government, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
• To conduct workshops/seminars/conferences on modern demographic methods and techniques and population related issues.
• To develop research publications on reproductive and sexual health, gender inequality and domestic violence, health and well-being, and population and environment.
• To prioritize, interact, collaborate, and coordinate with governments, academics, industry, civil society groups, and the public.
• To cooperate and interact with the international researchers in the field of population and development.