Minhaj ul Haque

Minhaj ul Haque is Chief Executive Officer of Population Center. His career spans research, public policy and development practice, with a particular focus on translating evidence into actionable guidance for decision-makers.

He spent more than two decades with Population Council and subsequently worked for around a decade as an independent consultant, including assignments with the World Bank and UNDP. His work spans social protection, population, health and education.

As Secretary General of the Population Association of Pakistan from 2017 to 2020, he contributed to policy dialogue on the implications of rapid population growth for Pakistan’s development and security. He has led and contributed to numerous research studies, including Pakistan’s first national youth survey, with findings informing policy discussions on youth, population, education and health.

His work has also included analysis of education participation and foundational assessment of SDG data gaps, supporting evidence-informed planning and policy dialogue.

His current interests include institutional capacity strengthening and the use of emerging technologies to improve evidence use in public policy and address equity challenges.

He also teaches Population Economics at the School of Economics, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, where he developed the course and encourages students to examine the challenges of governance and economic planning through a population and development lens.