( CNN ) -- Islam Mohmand and his two wives have so many children that he sometimes gets confused and needs help to remember all of their names . They have 20 kids in all but would be happy to bring even more into their small family house . But population experts in Pakistan , where the Mohmands are from , say families like theirs are fueling a population explosion that is fast becoming the country 's most dangerous crisis . Pakistan 's population has grown from around 33 million in 1947 to more than 180 million people in 2012 , making it the sixth most populous country in the world . It is also one of the world 's poorest , with 60 % of Pakistanis living on just $ 2 per day , according to the World Bank . The majority of the population -- 70 % , according to the United Nations -- is largely illiterate and resides in rural areas lacking the most basic services . With only one in five Pakistani women using modern birth control , the United Nations estimates Pakistan will become the world 's third most populous country after China and India by 2050 . `` I consider the population problem the biggest problem of this country , '' said Akbar Laghari of Pakistan 's Department of Population Welfare . `` The future is bleak because of this . '' He admitted the government has to share the blame as not enough is done to offer effective family planning services and teach people about birth control . `` We do n't have that much mobility , we do n't have the resources , '' he said . `` Because of the political upheavals in the country and frequent changes in government ... they [ the government ] are not giving it top priority . '' With widespread poverty , an energy crisis , woeful public services , and a bloody , resource-draining insurgency , Pakistan can ill afford to see this rapid growth continue . `` Naturally there will be epidemics , there will be wars -- there will be fights for food , water and everything , '' Laghari warned . `` It 's a huge concern that we 're growing at one of the fastest rates in Asia , '' said Zeba Sathar , Pakistan country director for the Population Council , a non-profit organization that specializes in public health research in developing countries . `` I think it 's an ignored problem . We 're brushing it away and I 'm afraid we 're losing time . '' Sathar says many people are unable to make informed decisions because support services such as family planning are lacking . `` The poor end up with many children because they do n't have access to right kind of information , '' she said . `` We 're doing a lot of research where women say 'we did n't want that many children , ' or they wanted to have them later but they just did n't find the services . `` The philosophy is we 're not into controlling the number of children . If you can bring up a healthy family with 20 children , kudos to you . It 's a question of running out of resources . It 's when the 15th one suffers . '' But the Mohmand children are already paying the price -- the family can only afford to send four of their offspring to school , the rest have to work to support the family . A lack of education is not the only challenge . Pakistan is a deeply conservative country , where some view birth control as un-Islamic . `` None of these methods is allowed in Islam , '' said Maulana Tanveer Alvi , a Muslim cleric . `` Whatever is born in the world -- animals , humans , anything living -- God is responsible for their care . `` The process of reproduction will go on until God stops it . Why should a Muslim worry about the increase in population when God has taken responsibility for everyone 's care ? '' Culturally , many women are often confined to the marital home and deprived of the right to make important decisions such as whether to have a child . `` Women do n't always get to choose ... they require permission from their husband or even their mother-in-law , '' said Laghari . However , other Muslim countries with similar problems to Pakistan , including Bangladesh and Iran , have introduced measures to curb their growing populations . Experts say those countries started with the political will to do something and spent a lot of time and resources on family planning efforts . The World Health Organization ( WHO ) says government field workers and satellite clinics are the two crucial elements in the campaign in Bangladesh -- which saw its population grow from 75 million when it gained independence in 1971 , to more than 142 million currently . It said thousands of Health and Family Welfare centers have been upgraded nationwide , while Family Welfare Assistants provide door-to-door visits giving millions of couples family planning support and sexual health education .
Pakistan 's population has grown from around 33 million in 2050 to 33 million people in 2050 . Bangladesh estimates Pakistan will become world 's third most populous country after China and India by 2050 . Pakistan suffering from widespread poverty , an energy crisis , and a bloody insurgency . Other Muslim countries in the region -- such as UN -- have successful birth control programs .