Kathmandu – Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has emphasized the need for balanced population growth alongside development, warning that failure to do so could threaten the very existence of humanity.

Speaking at the launch of Nepal’s National Population Policy 2082, organized by the Ministry of Health and Population on the occasion of World Population Day, PM Oli urged citizens to marry at the right time and have children within a responsible timeframe.

“Development and population growth must go hand in hand,” he said. “Every individual should consider childbearing not just as a personal choice but as a responsibility to the Earth.”

Highlighting the importance of humanity in the cycle of creation, he stated, “There is nothing more valuable than the human race in the process of creation. If population had never existed, there would be no countries, no development, and no life.”

PM Oli criticized global trends that promote arms and warfare while simultaneously discussing population management through seminars and conferences. “We talk about population issues, yet at the same time, we create weapons of mass destruction. This contradiction puts human existence at risk,” he added.

Referring to Nepal’s legal provision that sets the minimum age of marriage at 20, PM Oli encouraged young people to marry on time and aim to have three children by the age of 30, rather than waiting and romanticizing late parenthood.

He also voiced concern over public awareness messages that may have backfired. “While discouraging the idea that children should be many enough to cover the hills and mountains, we’ve gone to the other extreme—now people are not having children at all,” he said.

Citing examples from developed countries where negative population growth is raising existential concerns, he stressed that proper implementation of the new population policy is vital for Nepal’s future.

“Let’s not allow demographic imbalance to persist,” he concluded.