View source for Demographics of Pakistan

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{{About|the demographic features of the population of Pakistan|a general overview of the citizens of Pakistan|Pakistanis}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{Use Pakistani English|date=October 2022}}
{{Infobox place demographics
 | place              = [[Pakistan]]
| image               = Pakistan Population Pyramid - July 1, 2021.svg
|image_size           = 300
| caption             = [[Population pyramid]] of Pakistan as of July 1, 2021
<!-- Population data  -->
| size_of_population  = 241,499,431{{efn|This figure does not include data for Pakistan-administered areas of Kashmir; [[Azad Kashmir]] and [[Gilgit-Baltistan]], which, according to 2017 Pakistani census, had a population of 4,045,367 and 1,492,924 respectively.<ref name="AJK" /><ref name="GB" />}} ([[2023 Pakistani census|2023 census]])
| density             = {{convert|260.8|/km2|/sqmi|abbr=on}}<br />{{convert|248.9|/km2|/sqmi|abbr=on}} (including [[Azad Kashmir|AJK]] and [[Gilgit-Baltistan|GB]])
| growth              = {{increase}} 1.85% (2021 est.)<ref name="CIAWF22" />
| birth               = 22.5 births / 1,000 population (2023 est.)
| death               = 7.2 deaths / 1,000 population (2021 est.)<ref name="CIAWF22"/>
| net_migration       = −2.0 migrants / 1,000 population (2021 est.)<ref name="CIAWF22"/>
| life                = 69.1 years (2022 est.)<ref name="CIAWF22"/>
| life_male           = 66.8 years (2022 est.)<ref name="CIAWF22"/>
| life_female         = 71.6 years (2022 est.)<ref name="CIAWF22"/>
| fertility           = 3.32 children born / woman (2024 est.)<ref name="CIAWF22"/>
<!--Age structure-->
| age_0–14_years      = 37.2% (2020)<ref name="UNWPP2019" />
| age_15–64_years     = 58.6% (2020)<ref name="UNWPP2019" />
| age_65_years        = 4.2% (2020)<ref name="UNWPP2019" />
<!-- Nationality, Ethnicity, Language -->
| nation              = ''noun'': [[Pakistani people|Pakistani]]
| major_ethnic        = See [[Ethnic groups in Pakistan|Ethnic groups of Pakistan]]
| spoken              = See [[Languages of Pakistan]]
}}

[[Pakistan]] had a population of 241,499,431 according to the final results of the [[2023 Pakistani census|2023 census]].<ref name="2023Census">{{cite web |title=Table 1 : Households, Population, Household Size and Annual Growth Rate |url=https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files/population/2023/Pakistan.pdf |website=pbs.gov.pk |publisher=[[Pakistan Bureau Statistics]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230814181311/https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files/population/2023/Pakistan.pdf |archive-date=14 August 2023}}</ref> This figure includes the country's [[Provinces of Pakistan|four provinces]] e.g. Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and the [[Islamabad Capital Territory]]. Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan's census data is yet to be approved by CCI Council of Pakistan. Pakistan is the world's [[List of countries by population|fifth–most populous country]].<ref name="UNWPP2019">{{cite web |title=World Population Prospects 2019 |url=https://population.un.org/wpp/ |website=World Population Prospects – Population Division – United Nations |publisher=United Nations |access-date=8 May 2022 |date=June 2019}}</ref>

Between 1951 and 2023, Pakistan's population expanded over sevenfold, going from 33.7&nbsp;million to 241.5&nbsp;million. The country has a relatively high, although declining, growth rate supported by high birth rates and low death rates. Between 1998 and 2017, the average annual population growth rate stood at +2.40%.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.tribune.com.pk/story/1719994/headcount-finalised-sans-third-party-audit%3famp=1|title=Headcount finalised sans third-party audit|author=Riazul Haq and Shahbaz Rana|date=27 May 2018|access-date=11 June 2021}}</ref>

Dramatic social changes have led to urbanization and the emergence of two [[Megacity|megacities]]: [[Karachi]] and [[Lahore]]. The country's urban population more than tripled between 1981 and 2017 (from 23.8&nbsp;million to 75.7&nbsp;million), as Pakistan's [[urbanisation rate]] rose from 28.2% to 36.4%. Even with this, the nation's urbanisation rate remains one of [[Urbanization by country|the lowest in the world]], and in 2017, over 130 million Pakistanis (making up nearly 65% of the population) lived in rural areas.

Due to a high [[Total fertility rate|fertility rate]], which was estimated at 3.5 in 2022, Pakistan has one of the world's [[List of countries by median age|youngest populations]]. The 2017 census recorded that 40.3% of the country's population was under the age of 15, while only 3.7% of Pakistanis were aged 65 or more.<ref name="2017CensusAge">{{cite web |title=Table 4 – Population by Single Year Age, Sex and  Rural/Urban |url=https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files//population_census/census_2017_tables/pakistan/Table04n.pdf |publisher=Pakistan Bureau of Statistics |access-date=9 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211224053856/https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files//population_census/census_2017_tables/pakistan/Table04n.pdf |archive-date=24 December 2021 |date=2021 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[median age]] of the country was 19,<ref name="2017CensusAge" /> while its [[sex ratio]] was recorded to be 105 males per 100 females.<ref name="2017CensusPopulation">{{cite web |title=Table – 1 Area, Population By Sex, Sex Ratio, Population Density, Urban Proportion, Household Size and Annual Growth Rate |url=https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files//population_census/National.pdf |publisher=Pakistan Bureau of Statistics |access-date=17 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927171509/https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files//population_census/National.pdf |archive-date=27 September 2021 |date=19 May 2021 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The [[demographic history of Pakistan]] from the ancient [[Indus Valley civilization]] to the modern era includes the arrival and settlement of many cultures and ethnic groups in the modern region of [[Pakistan]] from [[Eurasia]] and the nearby [[Middle East]]. Because of this, Pakistan has a multicultural, multilinguistic, and multiethnic society. Pakistan is also thought to have the world's fourth-largest [[List of countries by refugee population|refugee population]], estimated at 1.4&nbsp;million in mid-2021 by the [[United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees|UNHCR]].<ref name="RefugeesUNHCR">{{cite web |title=Refugee Data Finder |url=https://www.unhcr.org/refugee-statistics/ |website=UNHCR – Refugee Statistics |publisher=UNHCR |access-date=12 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220512205655/https://www.unhcr.org/refugee-statistics/ |archive-date=12 May 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref>

==Population==
{{Main|Census in Pakistan}}
{{Historical populations
| title = Historical Population of Pakistan (four provinces and Islamabad)
| shading = off
| percentages = pagr
| align = right
| 1951 |33740167
| 1961 |42880378
| 1972 |65309340
| 1981 |84253644
| 1998 |132352279
| 2017 |207684626
| 2023 |241499431
|source =<ref name="2017CensusPopulation"/><ref name=2017Census>{{cite web |title=Salient Features of Final Results Census – 2017 |url=https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files//population_census/sailent_feature_%20census_2017.pdf |access-date=20 May 2021 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220407233606/https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files//population_census/sailent_feature_%20census_2017.pdf |archive-date=7 April 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files/other/yearbook2011/Population/16-16.pdf |title=Population Distribution by Religion, 1998 Census |publisher=Pakistan Bureau of Statistics |access-date=26 December 2016 |archive-date=26 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161226023307/http://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files/other/yearbook2011/Population/16-16.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="1951-1998Data" />
}}

The [[2017 Pakistani census|2017 census]] recorded a population of 207,684,626 living in [[Pakistan]]'s [[Provinces of Pakistan|four provinces]] and the [[Islamabad Capital Territory]].<ref name="2017CensusPopulation" /> The census also reported that [[Azad Kashmir]]'s population stood at 4,045,367<ref name="AJK" /> and [[Gilgit-Baltistan]]'s population was 1,492,924.<ref name="GB" /> This meant that the total population of Pakistan in 2017 was 213,222,917.

The statistics in the graphs below were created by the United Nations in July 2022,<ref name="UNWPP2019" /> and are covered in more detail in [[Demographics of Pakistan#Estimates from the United Nations|the following section]]. This data includes Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. For years, the country with a population exceeding 230 million has been grappling to achieve economic stability. The people of Pakistan are living in a precarious situation, with an uncertain future in the country.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-06-30 |title=Crisis-hit Pakistan strikes $3bn IMF bailout deal |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-66062429 |access-date=2023-08-29}}</ref>

{{ChartDisplay|definition=Pakistan Total Population.chart|data=Pakistan Total Population.tab|Width=550}}

{{PortGraph
| width = 550
| height = 150
| xAxisTitle = year
| yAxisTitle = ‰
| yAxisMax = 50
| yAxisMin = -15
| yGrid = 0,1
| xGrid = 10
| hAnnotatonsLine = 0
| hAnnotatonsLabel =
| legend = 
| type = line
| x = 1951,1952,1953,1954,1955,1956,1957,1958,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999,2000,2001,2002,2003,2004,2005,2006,2007,2008,2009,2010,2011,2012,2013,2014,2015,2016,2017,2018,2019,2020,2021

| y1 = 43.716,44.12,44.49,44.778,45.004,45.184,45.366,45.515,45.649,45.696,45.749,45.76,45.647,45.503,45.298,45.091,44.831,44.579,44.201,43.724,43.549,43.445,43.342,43.281,43.115,43.017,42.941,43.027,43.117,43.235,43.539,44.156,44.567,44.669,44.469,44.245,44.29,44.207,44.011,43.684,43.147,42.531,41.829,40.756,40.097,39.211,38.516,37.683,37.079,36.475,35.761,35.342,34.868,34.132,33.513,32.867,32.402,32.589,32.361,32.193,32.109,31.872,31.601,31.181,30.462,29.699,29.306,28.963,28.594,28.276,27.967,27.519

| y2 =  31.127,29.351,28.071,26.917,25.957,24.912,24.075,23.208,22.412,21.63,20.909,20.184,19.486,18.673,17.927,17.286,16.323,15.615,14.96,14.395,13.794,16.162,13.404,13.246,13.205,12.95,12.817,12.735,12.502,12.309,12.109,11.946,11.825,11.608,11.415,11.351,11.257,11.383,11.199,11.013,10.731,10.543,10.489,10.43,10.215,10.194,9.852,9.654,9.353,9.023,8.77,8.583,8.454,8.311,8.177,8.402,7.831,7.798,7.733,7.703,7.599,7.524,7.479,7.333,7.274,7.097,7.036,6.89,6.843,6.765,7.06,7.168

| y3 = 12.589,14.769,16.419,17.861,19.047,20.272,21.291,22.307,23.237,24.066,24.84,25.576,26.161,26.83,27.371,27.805,28.508,28.964,29.241,29.329,29.755,27.283,29.938,30.035,29.91,30.067,30.124,30.292,30.615,30.926,31.43,32.21,32.742,33.061,33.054,32.894,33.033,32.824,32.812,32.671,32.416,31.988,31.34,30.326,29.882,29.017,28.664,28.029,27.726,27.452,26.991,26.759,26.414,25.821,25.336,24.465,24.571,24.791,24.628,24.49,24.51,24.348,24.122,23.848,23.188,22.602,22.27,22.073,21.751,21.511,20.907,20.351

| y4 = 0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,-2.842,-2.728,-2.616,-2.503,-2.393,-2.293,-2.193,-2.091,-1.989,-1.965,-2.244,-2.213,-1.804,-1.051,-0.05,0.672,1.16,1.473,5.829,13.46,11.899,6.305,0.811,-3.73,2.912,1.986,3.14,1.374,0.609,0.262,-0.051,-10.733,-0.002,-2.138,2.228,1.079,1.073,1.024,0.992,6.112,2.164,-5.098,-3.459,-3.071,-3.62,-3.525,-3.092,-2.824,-1.779,-2.218,-4.474,-8.116,-9.24,-9.738,-10.244,-10.669,-7.25,-5.942,-5.258,-2.588,-2.035

| y1Title = Crude birth rate (per 1000)
| y2Title = Crude death rate (per 1000)
| y3Title = Crude rate of natural increase (per 1000)
| y4Title = Crude rate of migration (per 1000)<!-- Note: Crude migration change (per 1000) is a trend analysis, an extrapolation <ref>Note: Crude migration change (per 1000) is a trend analysis, an extrapolation, based the calculation average population change (current year minus previous) minus natural change of the current year.-->
| colors = green, red, blue, orange
}}
{{ChartDisplay|definition=Pakistan Infant Mortality.chart|data=Pakistan Infant Mortality.tab|Width=550}}
{{ChartDisplay|definition=Pakistan TFR.chart|data=Pakistan TFR.tab|Width=550}}
[[File:Population Density by Pakistani District - 2017 Census.svg|thumb|right|upright=1.35|{{center|Population Density per square kilometre of each Pakistani District as of the 2017 Pakistan Census}}]]
[[File:Population by Pakistani District - 2017 Census.svg|thumb|right|upright=1.35|{{center|Population of each Pakistani District as of the 2017 Pakistan Census}}]]

===Estimates from the United Nations===

In July 2022, the [[United Nations]] published its 2022 World Population Prospects, a bi annually-updated database where key demographic indicators are estimated and projected worldwide down to the country level. They prepared estimates of Pakistan's population for every year from 1950 to 2021, as well as projections for future decades.<ref name="UNWPP2019" /> This data includes [[Azad Kashmir]] and [[Gilgit-Baltistan]].

Projections are highlighted in light yellow, and future figures are taken from the medium fertility variant.

{|class="wikitable" style=text-align:right 
|+
|-class=static-row-header style=vertical-align:bottom
|-
! width="70" |Year
! width="100" |{{abbr|Population|Population as of July 1 of the year}}
! width="120" |% Population<br />aged 0 to 14
! width="120" |% Population<br />aged 15 to 64
! width="120" |% Population<br />aged 65 or more
|-
!1950
 |37,696,264 
|40.5% 
|54.0% 
|5.5%
|-
!1955
 |
|40.3% 
|55.3% 
|4.4%
|-
!1960
 |45,954,226 
|40.6% 
|55.6% 
|3.7%
|-
!1965
 |51,841,626 
|42.3% 
|54.4% 
|3.4%
|-
!1970
 |59,290,872 
|43.7% 
|53.0% 
|3.3%
|-
!1975
 |68,126,999 
|43.9% 
|52.8% 
|3.4%
|-
!1980
 |80,624,057 
|43.0% 
|53.5% 
|3.4%
|-
!1985
 |97,121,552 
|43.0% 
|53.5% 
|3.5%
|-
!1990
 |115,414,069 
|43.7% 
|52.8% 
|3.5%
|-
!1995
 |133,117,476 
|44.4% 
|52.1% 
|3.5%
|-
!2000
 |154,369,924 
|42.9% 
|53.6% 
|3.5%
|-
!2005
 |174,372,098 
|41.1% 
|55.4% 
|3.5%
|-
!2010
 |194,454,498 
|39.2% 
|57.0% 
|3.7%
|-
!2015
 |210,969,298 
|38.4% 
|57.7% 
|3.9%
|-
!2020
 |227,196,741 
|37.3% 
|58.6% 
|4.2%
|- bgcolor="#ffffaf"
!2025
 |249,948,885 
|35.3% 
|60.2% 
|4.5%
|- bgcolor="#ffffaf"
!2030
 |274,029,836 
|33.2% 
|61.9% 
|4.9%
|- bgcolor="#ffffaf"
!2035
 |298,432,780 
|31.7% 
|63.1% 
|5.2%
|- bgcolor="#ffffaf"
!2040
 |322,595,767 
|29.5% 
|64.8% 
|5.7%
|- bgcolor="#ffffaf"
!2045
 |345,818,945 
|28.1% 
|65.8% 
|6.2%
|- bgcolor="#ffffaf"
!2050
 |367,808,468 
|26.6% 
|66.5% 
|6.9%
|}

===Structure of population===
[[File:Median Age by Pakistani District - 2017 Census.svg|thumb|right|upright=1.35|{{center|Median Age of each Pakistani District as of the [[2017 Pakistan Census]]}}]]

The table below shows Pakistan's population structure by five-year age group and sex using data from the 2023 census.<ref name="2017CensusAge" /> The country's population structure is relatively young, with a median age of 19. With low death rates and a declining birth rate, the country is in the third stage of its [[Demographic transition]]. In 2017, Pakistan's [[sex ratio]] stood at 105 males per 100 females,<ref name="2017CensusPopulation" /> which is much more balanced than South Asia as a whole.

The statistics below do not contain [[Azad Kashmir]] or [[Gilgit-Baltistan]], which disseminate their census data separately from Pakistan's four provinces and Islamabad.

{|class="wikitable" style=text-align:right 
|+
|-class=static-row-header style=vertical-align:bottom
|-
! width="110" |Age Group
! width="100" |Male
! width="100" |Female
! width="100" |Total
! width="100" |{{abbr|Sex ratio|Sex ratio measured in number of males for 100 females}}
! width="100" |Percent
|-
!Total
 !123,824,681
 !116,613,077
 !240,458,089
 !106.12
 !100.0%
|-
!0 – 4
 |18,744,989
 |17,726,432
 |36,471,421
 |105.1
 |14.0%
|-
!5 – 9
 |16,566,852
 |15,705,284
 |32,272,136
 |108.8
 |14.5%
|-
!10 – 14
 |14,971,914
 |13,817,137
 |28,790,182
 |111.8
 |11.8%
|-
!15 – 19
 |12,581,753
 |11,569,893
 |24,154,118
 |108.0
 |10.3%
|-
!20 – 24
 |10,323,755
 |10,141,864
 |20,468,713
 |100.0
 |8.9%
|-
!25 – 29
 |8,946,770
 |9,016,962
 |17,967,161
 |98.8
 |7.9%
|-
!30 – 34
 |7,730,953
 |8,026,004
 |15,759,670
 |96.4
 |6.8%
|-
!35 – 39
 |7,313,967
 |7,047,727
 |14,364,278
 |102.2
 |5.8%
|-
!40 – 44
 |6,471,820
 |6,063,242
 |12,536,758
 |101.5
 |4.6%
|-
!45 – 49
 |5,095,175
 |4,624,839
 |9,721,110
 |104.9
 |3.8%
|-
!50 – 54
 |4,219,234
 |3,827,003
 |8,047,113
 |110.4
 |3.3%
|-
!55 – 59
 |3,455,455
 |2,933,026
 |6,388,995
 |113.8
 |2.4%
|-
!60 – 64
 |2,247,341
 |2,063,695
 |4,311,861
 |108.9
 |2.1%
|-
!65 – 69
 |1,557,733
 |1,393,718
 |2,952,013
 |111.8
 |1.4%
|-
!70 – 74
 |1,131,916
 |1,001,805
 |2,134,220
 |113.0
 |1.0%
|-
!75 or more
 |1,338,251
 |1,287,621
 |2,626,523
 |103.9
 |1.26%
|-
! width="110" |Age Group
! width="100" |Male
! width="100" |Female
! width="100" |Total
! width="100" |{{abbr|Sex ratio|Sex ratio measured in number of males for 100 females}}
! width="100" |Percent
|-
!0 – 14
 |43,533,720
 |40,182,776
 |83 716 496
 |108.3
 |40.3%
|-
!15 – 64
 |58,778,374
 |57,478,712
 |116,257,086
 |102.3
 |56.0%
|-
!65+
 |4,027,900
 |3,683,144
 |7,711,044
 |109.4
 |3.7%
|}

===Population distribution===

Pakistan's population is distributed unevenly, with over half of the country's people living in the [[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab]] province. On the other hand, Balochistan, which is geographically Pakistan's largest province, is its least-populated. The population is mainly clustered around the most agriculturally fertile areas, particularly the [[Indus River]] and its tributaries. Most of the country's people live in [[rural area]]s, but two large and growing [[Megacity|megacities]] exist: the coastal [[Karachi]] and [[Lahore]] in eastern Punjab. Numerous smaller cities (such as [[Faisalabad]], [[Rawalpindi]], [[Peshawar]], and the capital [[Islamabad]]) dot the rest of the country.

====By province====

The table below shows Pakistan's provinces and territories by their historical population. While every one of Pakistan's administrative units currently has a growing population, the pace of growth is uneven throughout the country due to differing levels of fertility, mortality, as well as domestic and international migration. Populations pertaining to the modern borders of provinces are shown.

{|class="wikitable" style=text-align:right 
|+
|-class=static-row-header style=vertical-align:bottom
|-
! width="200" |Province or Territory
! width="100" |[[Census in Pakistan#1951|1951]]<ref name="1951-1998Data" />
! width="100" |[[Census in Pakistan#1961|1961]]<ref name="1951-1998Data" />
! width="100" |[[Census in Pakistan#1972|1972]]<ref name="1951-1998Data" />
! width="100" |[[Census in Pakistan#1981|1981]]<ref name="1951-1998Data" />
! width="100" |[[1998 Census of Pakistan|1998]]<ref name="1951-1998Data" />
! width="100" |[[2017 Pakistani census|2017]]<ref name="2017CensusPopulation" />
![[2023 Pakistani census|2023]]<ref name="keyfindings2023" />
|-
! style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Punjab, Pakistan|name=Punjab}}
 |20,540,762
 |25,463,974
 |37,607,423
 |47,292,441
 |73,691,290
 |109,989,655
|127,688,922
|-
! style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Sindh}}
 |6,047,748
 |8,367,065
 |14,155,909
 |19,028,666
 |30,439,893
 |47,854,510
|55,696,147
|-
! style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Khyber Pakhtunkhwa}}
 |5,888,550
 |7,578,186
 |10,879,781
 |13,259,875
 |20,919,976
 |35,501,964
|40,856,097
|-
! style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Balochistan, Pakistan|name=Balochistan}}
 |1,167,167
 |1,353,484
 |2,428,678
 |4,332,376
 |6,565,885
 |12,335,129
|14,894,402
|-
! style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Islamabad|name={{abbr|ICT|Islamabad Capital Territory}}}}
 |—
 |117,669
 |237,549
 |340,286
 |805,235
 |2,003,368
|2,363,863
|-
! style="text-align:left;" |Four Provinces and ICT
 !33,740,167
 !42,880,378
 !65,309,340
 !84,253,644
 !132,352,279
 !207,684,626
!241,499,431
|- bgcolor="#ffffaf"
! style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Azad Kashmir}}<ref name="AJK" />
 |886,000
 |1,065,000
 |1,573,000
 |1,983,465
 |2,972,501
 |4,045,367
|
|- bgcolor="#ffffaf"
! style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Gilgit-Baltistan}}<ref name="GB" />
 |—
 |—
 |—
 |—
 |884,000
 |1,492,924
|
|-
! style="text-align:left;" |Total Pakistan
 !—
 !—
 !—
 !—
 !136,208,780
 !213,222,917
!
|}

====Urbanization====

The following table shows how Pakistan has [[urbanised]]. As is true with population growth, urbanisation is an uneven and nonlinear process. With an urbanisation rate of 54% as of 2023, Sindh is the country's most urbanised province. This is largely fuelled by the growth of [[Karachi]], which economically dominates the province and attracts migrants from the rest of the country. On the other hand, the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the territory of Gilgit-Baltistan both share very low urbanisation rates.

{|class="wikitable" style=text-align:right 
|+
|-class=static-row-header style=vertical-align:bottom
|-
! width="200" |Province or Territory
! width="100" |[[Census in Pakistan#1951|1951]]<ref name="1951-1998Data" />
! width="100" |[[Census in Pakistan#1961|1961]]<ref name="1951-1998Data" />
! width="100" |[[Census in Pakistan#1972|1972]]<ref name="1951-1998Data" />
! width="100" |[[Census in Pakistan#1981|1981]]<ref name="1951-1998Data" />
! width="100" |[[1998 Census of Pakistan|1998]]<ref name="1951-1998Data" />
! width="100" |[[2017 Pakistani census|2017]]<ref name="2017CensusPopulation" />
![[2023 Pakistani census|2023]]<ref name="keyfindings2023" />
|-
! style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Punjab, Pakistan|name=Punjab}}
 |17.3%
 |21.5%
 |24.4%
 |27.6%
 |31.3%
 |36.9%
|40.7%
|-
! style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Sindh}}
 |29.2%
 |37.9%
 |40.4%
 |43.3%
 |48.8%
 |51.9%
|54.0%
|-
! style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Khyber Pakhtunkhwa}}
 |8.6%
 |10.3%
 |11.1%
 |12.6%
 |14.3%
 |16.5%
|15.0%
|-
! style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Balochistan, Pakistan|name=Balochistan}}
 |12.4%
 |16.9%
 |16.5%
 |15.6%
 |23.9%
 |27.6%
|30.1%
|-
! style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Islamabad|name={{abbr|ICT|Islamabad Capital Territory}}}}
 |0.0%
 |0.0%
 |32.3%
 |60.1%
 |65.7%
 |50.4%
|46.9%
|-
! style="text-align:left;" |Four Provinces and ICT
 !17.7%
 !22.5%
 !25.4%
 !28.3%
 !32.5%
 !36.4%
!38.9%
|- bgcolor="#ffffaf"
! style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Azad Kashmir}}<ref name="AJK" />
 |—
 |—
 |—
 |8.1%
 |12.5%
 |17.4%
|
|- bgcolor="#ffffaf"
! style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Gilgit-Baltistan}}<ref name="GB" />
 |—
 |—
 |—
 |—
 |16.8%
 |16.5%
|
|}

====Largest cities====
{{main|List of cities in Pakistan by population}}

As urbanisation has progressed and owing to the country's large population, Pakistan today has many very large urban centers which act as hubs for commerce and culture. The nation has two megacities, [[Karachi]] and [[Lahore]]. With populations of 18.9&nbsp;million and 13&nbsp;million respectively (as of 2023), they are among the world's largest metropolises. The country also has eight more cities with more than 1 million residents each: [[Faisalabad]], [[Rawalpindi]], [[Gujranwala]], [[Multan]], [[Hyderabad, Sindh|Hyderabad]], [[Peshawar]], [[Quetta]], and [[Islamabad]]. All of them play a significant role in the country, housing nearly 19 million people altogether.

Below a list showing Pakistan's cities with a population over 500,000 as of the 2023 census can be found, which not only shows the current populations of the cities, but also their growth rates and locations. The full list can be found on the main article: [[List of cities in Pakistan by population]].

All city population figures below include adjacent [[cantonment]]s.

{{Static row numbers}}
{|class="wikitable sortable static-row-numbers" style=text-align:right
|+
|-class=static-row-header style=vertical-align:bottom
! width="100" |City Name
! width="100" |Province or Territory
! width="100" |2023 Population<ref name="keyfindings2023" />
! width="100" |Avg. Annual Growth Rate (2017-2023)
! width="100" |2017 Population<ref name="2017CensusCities">{{cite web |title=Table – 2 Urban Localities by Population Size and their Population By Sex, Annual Growth Rate and Household Size |url=https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files//population_census/census_2017_tables/pakistan/Table02n.pdf |publisher=Pakistan Bureau of Statistics |access-date=12 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211224053543/https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files//population_census/census_2017_tables/pakistan/Table02n.pdf |archive-date=24 December 2021 |date=2021 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
! width="100" |Avg. Annual Growth Rate (1998-2017)
! width="100" |1998 Population<ref name="1951-1998Data" />
|-
 | style="text-align:left;" |[[Karachi]]
 | style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Sindh}}
 
|18,868,021
|{{Increase}}4.05%
|14,884,402
 |{{Increase}} 2.48%
|9,339,023
 
|-
 | style="text-align:left;" |[[Lahore]]
 | style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Punjab, Pakistan|name=Punjab}}
 
|13,004,135
|{{Increase}}2.65%
|11,119,985
 |{{Increase}} 4.06%
|5,209,088
 
|-
 | style="text-align:left;" |[[Faisalabad]]
 | style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Punjab, Pakistan|name=Punjab}}
 
|3,691,999
|{{Increase}}2.37%
|3,210,158
 |{{Increase}} 2.49%
|2,008,861
 
|-
 | style="text-align:left;" |[[Rawalpindi]]
 | style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Punjab, Pakistan|name=Punjab}}
 
|3,357,612
|{{Increase}}8.18%
|2,097,824
 |{{Increase}} 2.11%
|1,409,768
 
|-
 | style="text-align:left;" |[[Gujranwala]]
 | style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Punjab, Pakistan|name=Punjab}}
 
|2,668,047
|{{Increase}}3.55%
|2,028,421
 |{{Increase}} 3.11%
|1,132,509
 
|-
 | style="text-align:left;" |[[Multan]]
 | style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Punjab, Pakistan|name=Punjab}}
 |2,215,381
|{{Increase}}2.85%
|1,872,641
 |{{Increase}} 2.38%
|1,197,384
 
|-
 | style="text-align:left;" |[[Hyderabad, Sindh|Hyderabad]]
 | style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Sindh}}
 |1,921,275
|{{Increase}}1.53%
|1,733,622
 |{{Increase}} 2.10%
|1,166,894
 
|-
 | style="text-align:left;" |[[Peshawar]]
 | style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Khyber Pakhtunkhwa|name=KPK}}
 |1,905,975
|{{Decrease}}-0.55%
|1,969,823
 |{{Increase}} 3.72%
|982,816
 
|-
 | style="text-align:left;" |[[Quetta]]
 | style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Balochistan, Pakistan|name=Balochistan}}
 |1,565,546
|{{Increase}}7.79%
|999,385
 |{{Increase}} 3.04%
|565,137
 
|-
 | style="text-align:left;" |[[Islamabad]]
 | style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Islamabad|name=ICT}}
 |1,108,872
|{{Increase}}1.59%
|1,009,003
 |{{Increase}} 3.45%
|529,180
 
|-
 | style="text-align:left;" |[[Sargodha]]
 | style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Punjab, Pakistan|name=Punjab}}
 |975,886
|{{Increase}}6.81%
|658,208
 |{{Increase}} 1.92%
|458,440
 
|-
 | style="text-align:left;" |[[Sialkot]]
 | style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Punjab, Pakistan|name=Punjab}}
 |911,817
|{{Increase}}5.64%
|656,730
 |{{Increase}} 2.36%
|421,502
 
|-
 | style="text-align:left;" |[[Bahawalpur]]
 | style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Punjab, Pakistan|name=Punjab}}
 |903,795
|{{Increase}}2.88%
|762,774
 |{{Increase}} 3.34%
|408,395
 
|-
 | style="text-align:left;" |[[Jhang]]
 | style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Punjab, Pakistan|name=Punjab}}
 |606,533
|{{Increase}}6.58%
|414,309
 |{{Increase}} 1.83%
|293,366
 
|-
 | style="text-align:left;" |[[Sheikhupura]]
 | style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Punjab, Pakistan|name=Punjab}}
 |591,424
|{{Increase}}3.80%
|472,269
 |{{Increase}} 2.79%
|280,263
 
|-
 | style="text-align:left;" |[[Gujrat, Pakistan|Gujrat]]
 | style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Punjab, Pakistan|name=Punjab}}
 |574,240
|{{Increase}}6.65%
|390,758
 |{{Increase}} 2.34%
|251,792
 
|-
 | style="text-align:left;" |[[Sukkur]]
 | style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Sindh}}
 |563,851
|{{Increase}}2.02%
|500,401
 |{{Increase}} 2.12%
|335,551
 
|-
 | style="text-align:left;" |[[Larkana]]
 | style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Sindh}}
 |551,716
|{{Increase}}2.07%
|488,006
 |{{Increase}} 3.15%
|270,283
 
|-
 | style="text-align:left;"|[[Sahiwal]]
 | style="text-align:left;"|{{Flag|Punjab}}
|538,344
|{{Increase}}5,59%
|388,795
|
|
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[Okara, Pakistan|Okara]]
| style="text-align:left;"|{{Flag|Punjab, Pakistan|name=Punjab}}
|533,693
|{{Increase}}6.90%
|358,146
|
|
|-
 | style="text-align:left;" |[[Rahim Yar Khan]]
 | style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Punjab, Pakistan|name=Punjab}}
 |519,261
|{{Increase}}3.57%
|420,963
 |{{Increase}} 3.14%
|233,537
 
|-
 | style="text-align:left;" |[[Kasur]]
| style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Punjab, Pakistan|name=Punjab}}
|510,875
|{{Increase}}6.11%
|358,296
|
|
|}

==Vital statistics==

As Pakistan lacks a national [[Vital statistics (government records)|vital statistics]] system that publicly disseminates data, all of the following information is made from estimates, which are constantly being revised. The [[United Nations]] estimated that in February 2021, only 42% of births in Pakistan were [[Civil registration|officially registered]], making it the world's most populous country where more than half of births remained unregistered.<ref name="UNRegistrationEstimates">{{cite web |title=Coverage of Birth and Death Registration – 2021 |url=https://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic-social/crvs/documents/2021-coverage.xlsx |website=Coverage of Birth and Death Registration – 2021 |publisher=United Nations |access-date=8 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220123203454/https://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic-social/crvs/documents/2021-coverage.xlsx |archive-date=23 January 2022 |date=February 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> The United Nations was unable to estimate how many deaths were officially registered.<ref name="UNRegistrationEstimates" />

===Demographic and Health Surveys===

Surveys taken by the Pakistani government or intergovernmental organisations are seen as the most reliable method of keeping tabs on birth, death, fertility, and infant mortality rates in a country without a reliable vital registration system. The data recorded in these surveys is used by the United Nations in order to estimate historical and future fertility and mortality figures for Pakistan in the World Population Prospects.<ref name="UNDataSourcesWPP2019">{{cite web |title=Data Sources |url=https://population.un.org/wpp/DataSources/586 |website=World Population Prospects – Population Division – United Nations |publisher=United Nations |access-date=8 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220508160234/https://population.un.org/wpp/DataSources/586 |archive-date=8 May 2022 |date=June 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>

{|class="wikitable" style=text-align:right 
|+
|-class=static-row-header style=vertical-align:bottom
! rowspan = "2" |Survey
! rowspan = "2" |[[Birth rate|Crude birth rate]]
! rowspan = "2" |[[Death rate|Crude death rate]]
! rowspan = "2" |[[Infant mortality rate]]
! colspan = "3" |[[Total fertility rate]]
! colspan = "2" |[[Life expectancy]]
|-
!Urban
!Rural
!Total
!Male
!Female
|-
! style=text-align:left |[[Demographic and Health Surveys|DHS]] 2006–07<ref name="DHS 2006-07">{{cite web |title=Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey 2006–07 |url=https://dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/FR200/FR200.pdf |website=Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey 2006–07 [FR200] |publisher=National Institute of Population Studies Islamabad, Pakistan |access-date=8 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220326022342/https://dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/FR200/FR200.pdf |archive-date=26 March 2022 |date=June 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref>
 |30.7
 |—
 |78
  |3.30
  |4.49
 |4.08
  |—
  |—
|-
! style=text-align:left |{{abbr|PSLM|Pakistan Social & Living Standards Measurement Survey}} 2007–08<ref name="PSLM 2007-08">{{cite web |title=Pakistan Social & Living Standards Measurement Survey |url=https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files/social_statistics/publications/pslm2007_08/report_pslm07_08.pdf  |publisher=Pakistan Bureau of Statistics |access-date=8 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220204095930/https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files//pslm/publications/pslm2013_14/A%20report%2013-14(%2012-05-15)_FInal_1.pdf |archive-date=4 February 2022 |date=2008–2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
 |—
 |—
 |69
  |3.13
  |4.41
 |3.95
  |—
  |—
|-
! style=text-align:left |PSLM 2011–12<ref name="PSLM 2011-12">{{cite web |title=Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement Survey (2011–12) |url=https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files/pslm/publications/pslm2011-12/complete_report_pslm11_12.pdf |publisher=Pakistan Bureau of Statistics |access-date=8 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220321043613/https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files/pslm/publications/pslm2011-12/complete_report_pslm11_12.pdf |archive-date=21 March 2022 |date=May 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
 |—
 |—
 |63
  |3.26
  |4.35
 |3.95
  |—
  |—
|-
! style=text-align:left |DHS 2012–13<ref name="DHS 2012-13">{{cite web |title=Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey 2012–13 |url=https://dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/FR290/FR290.pdf |website=Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey 2012–13 [FR290] |publisher=National Institute of Population Studies Islamabad, Pakistan |access-date=8 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220424000129/https://www.dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/FR290/FR290.pdf |archive-date=24 April 2022 |date=December 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>
 |—
 |—
 |74
  |3.16
  |4.20
 |3.84
  |—
  |—
|-
! style=text-align:left |PSLM 2013–14<ref name="PSLM 2013-14">{{cite web |title=PSLM 2013–14 |url=https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files//pslm/publications/pslm2013_14/A%20report%2013-14%28%2012-05-15%29_FInal_1.pdf |website=PSLM |publisher=Pakistan Bureau of Statistics |access-date=8 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220204095930/https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files//pslm/publications/pslm2013_14/A%20report%2013-14(%2012-05-15)_FInal_1.pdf |archive-date=4 February 2022 |date=2014–2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>
 |—
 |—
 |65
  |3.24
  |4.35
 |3.95
  |—
  |—
|-
! style=text-align:left |DHS 2017–18<ref name="DHS 2017-18">{{cite web |title=Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey 2017–18 |url=https://dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/FR354/FR354.pdf |website=Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey 2017–18 [FR354] |publisher=National Institute of Population Studies Islamabad, Pakistan |access-date=8 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220428125806/https://dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/FR354/FR354.pdf |archive-date=28 April 2022 |date=January 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>
 |29
 |—
 |62
  |2.93
  |3.94
 |3.56
  |—
  |—
|-
! style=text-align:left |PSLM 2018–19<ref name="PSLM 2018-19">{{cite web |title=Pakistan Social & Living Standards Measurement Survey (PSLM) 2018–19 National /Provincial (Social Report) |url=https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files//pslm/publications/pslm2018-19/pslm_report_2018-19_national_provincial.pdf  |publisher=Pakistan Bureau of Statistics |access-date=8 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220410154323/https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files//pslm/publications/pslm2018-19/pslm_report_2018-19_national_provincial.pdf |archive-date=10 April 2022 |date=June 2020 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
 |—
 |—
 |60
  |3.01
  |4.21
 |3.75
  |—
  |—
|-
! style=text-align:left |{{abbr|PMMS|Pakistan Maternal Mortality Survey}} 2019<ref name="PMMS 2019">{{cite web |title=Pakistan Maternal Mortality Survey 2019 |url=https://dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/FR366/FR366.pdf |website=Pakistan Maternal Mortality Survey 2019 [FR366] |publisher=National Institute of Population Studies Islamabad, Pakistan |access-date=8 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220508165009/https://dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/FR366/FR366.pdf |archive-date=8 May 2022 |date=December 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref>
 |—
 |—
 |—
  |—
  |—
 |—
  |64.3
  |66.5
|-
! style=text-align:left |{{abbr|PDS|Pakistan Demographic Survey}} 2020<ref name="PDS 2020">{{cite web |title=PAKISTAN DEMOGRAPHIC SURVEY 2020 |url=https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files//population_satistics/pds2020/pakistan_demographic_survey_2020.pdf |publisher=Pakistan Bureau of Statistics |access-date=8 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220508163222/https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files//population_satistics/pds2020/pakistan_demographic_survey_2020.pdf |archive-date=8 May 2022 |date=14 April 2022 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
 |27
 |6.7
 |56
  |3.07
  |4.11
 |3.72
  |64.5
  |65.5
|}

====Regional fertility rates====

Many of the surveys above also recorded [[Total fertility rate|fertility rate]] data broken down by each of Pakistan's administrative units, while many more surveys have been taken explicitly focusing on a specific province or territory. The fertility rate data recorded in these surveys is displayed in the table below.

{|class="wikitable" style=text-align:right 
|+
|-class=static-row-header style=vertical-align:bottom
! width="200" |Survey
! width="60" |[[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab]]
! width="60" |[[Sindh]]
! width="60" |[[Khyber Pakhtunkhwa|KPK]]
! width="60" |[[Balochistan]]
! width="60" |[[Islamabad Capital Territory|ICT]]
! width="60" |[[Azad Kashmir|AJK]]
! width="60" |[[Gilgit-Baltistan|G-B]]
! width="90" |Pakistan
|-
! style=text-align:left |DHS 2006–07<ref name="DHS 2006-07" />
 |3.9
 |4.3
 |{{abbr|4.3|Figure does not include former [[Federally Administered Tribal Areas|FATA]]}}
 |4.1
 |—
 |—
 |—
 !4.08
|-
! style=text-align:left |[[Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys|MICS]] Punjab 2011<ref name="MICS Punjab 2011">{{cite web |title=Untitled |url=https://mics-surveys-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/MICS4/South%20Asia/Pakistan%20%28Punjab%29/2011/Final/Pakistan%20%28Punjab%29%202011%20MICS_English.zip |website=Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) Punjab 2011 |publisher=UNICEF MICS |access-date=6 June 2022 |date=2 September 2012}}</ref>
 |3.6
 |—
 |—
 |—
 |—
 |—
 |—
 !—
|-
! style=text-align:left |DHS 2012–13<ref name="DHS 2012-13" />
 |3.8
 |3.9
 |{{abbr|3.9|Figure does not include former [[Federally Administered Tribal Areas|FATA]]}}
 |4.2
 |3.0
 |—
 |3.8
 !3.84
|-
! style=text-align:left |MICS Punjab 2014<ref name="MICS Punjab 2014" />
 |3.5
 |—
 |—
 |—
 |—
 |—
 |—
 !—
|-
! style=text-align:left |MICS Sindh 2014<ref name="MICS Sindh 2014">{{cite web |title=Sindh Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2014 Final Report |url=https://mics-surveys-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/MICS5/South%20Asia/Pakistan%20%28Sindh%29/2014/Final/Pakistan%20%28Sindh%29%202014%20MICS_English.pdf |website=Pakistan (Sindh) 2014 MICS_English.pdf |publisher=UNICEF MICS |access-date=6 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210728180120/https://mics-surveys-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/MICS5/South%20Asia/Pakistan%20(Sindh)/2014/Final/Pakistan%20(Sindh)%202014%20MICS_English.pdf |archive-date=28 July 2021 |date=December 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>
 |—
 |4.0
 |—
 |—
 |—
 |—
 |—
 !—
|-
! style=text-align:left |MICS KPK 2016–17<ref name="MICS KPK 2016-17">{{cite web |title=Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2016–17 Final Report |url=https://mics-surveys-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/MICS5/South%20Asia/Pakistan%20%28Punjab%29/2014/Final/Pakistan%20%28Punjab%29%202014%20MICS_English.pdf |website=Pakistan 2016-17 MICS (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) Final Report_English.pdf |publisher=UNICEF MICS |access-date=6 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220606005748/https://mics-surveys-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/MICS5/South%20Asia/Pakistan%20%28Khyber%20Pakhtunkhwa%29/2016-2017/Final/Pakistan%202016-17%20MICS%20%28Khyber%20Pakhtunkhwa%29%20Final%20Report_English.pdf |archive-date=6 June 2022 |date=June 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>
 |—
 |—
 |{{abbr|4.0|Figure does not include former [[Federally Administered Tribal Areas|FATA]]}}
 |—
 |—
 |—
 |—
 !—
|-
! style=text-align:left |MICS G-B 2016–17<ref name="MICS G-B 2016-17">{{cite web |title=Gilgit-Baltistan Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2016–17 Final Report |url=https://mics-surveys-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/MICS5/South%20Asia/Pakistan%20%28Gilgit-Baltistan%29/2016-2017/Final/Pakistan%202016-17%20MICS%20%28Gilgit-Baltistan%29_English.pdf |website=Microsoft Word - 001A. Gilgit-Baltistan MICS 2016-17_26102017.docx |publisher=UNICEF MICS |access-date=6 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200618040540/https://mics-surveys-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/MICS5/South%20Asia/Pakistan%20%28Gilgit-Baltistan%29/2016-2017/Final/Pakistan%202016-17%20MICS%20%28Gilgit-Baltistan%29_English.pdf |archive-date=18 June 2020 |date=September 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>
 |—
 |—
 |—
 |—
 |—
 |—
 |4.6
 !—
|-
! style=text-align:left |DHS 2017–18<ref name="DHS 2017-18" />
 |3.4
 |3.6
 |{{abbr|4.1|Survey taken before [[Federally Administered Tribal Areas|FATA]] was merged in KPK. The 4.8 figure in former FATA and the 4.0 figure in pre-merger KPK were averaged together (adjusting for relative populations)}}
 |4.0
 |3.0
 |3.5
 |4.7
 !3.56
|-
! style=text-align:left |MICS Punjab 2017–18<ref name="MICS Punjab 2017-18" />
 |3.7
 |—
 |—
 |—
 |—
 |—
 |—
 !—
|-
! style=text-align:left |MICS Sindh 2018–19<ref name="MICS Sindh 2018-19" />
 |—
 |3.7
 |—
 |—
 |—
 |—
 |—
 !—
|-
! style=text-align:left |MICS KPK 2019<ref name="MICS KPK 2019" />
 |—
 |—
 |4.0
 |—
 |—
 |—
 |—
 !—
|-
! style=text-align:left |MICS Balochistan 2019-20<ref name="MICS Balochistan 2019-20">{{cite web |title=Balochistan Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2019-20 Survey Findings Report |url=https://mics-surveys-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/MICS6/South%20Asia/Pakistan%20%28Balochistan%29/2019-2020/Survey%20findings/Pakistan%202019-20%20MICS%20%28Balochistan%29_English.pdf |website=MICS6 Survey Findings Report |publisher=UNICEF MICS |access-date=30 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220930231446/https://mics-surveys-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/MICS6/South%20Asia/Pakistan%20%28Balochistan%29/2019-2020/Survey%20findings/Pakistan%202019-20%20MICS%20%28Balochistan%29_English.pdf |archive-date=30 September 2022 |date=August 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref>
 |—
 |—
 |—
 |4.0
 |—
 |—
 |—
 !—
|-
! style=text-align:left |MICS AJK 2020–21<ref name="MICS AJK 2020-21">{{cite web |title=Azad Jammu and Kashmir Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2020–21 Survey Findings Report |url=https://mics-surveys-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/MICS6/South%20Asia/Pakistan%20%28Azad%20Jammu%20and%20Kashmir%29/2020-2021/Survey%20findings/Pakistan%202020-21%20MICS%20%28AJ%26K%29_English.pdf |website=Untitled-1 |publisher=UNICEF MICS |access-date=6 June 2022 |date=December 2021 |archive-date=6 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220606011717/https://mics-surveys-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/MICS6/South%20Asia/Pakistan%20%28Azad%20Jammu%20and%20Kashmir%29/2020-2021/Survey%20findings/Pakistan%202020-21%20MICS%20%28AJ%26K%29_English.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>
 |—
 |—
 |—
 |—
 |—
 |3.4
 |—
 !—
|}

The MICS surveys above also provide data on [[Districts of Pakistan|the district level]], although they come with a far higher margin of error. This margin of error is lessened for larger districts from where larger sample sizes were utilised. In the chart below, the latest fertility rate data for each Pakistani district with a population of over 2 million as of the 2017 census can be found. Although the table is originally ranked by district population size, clicking the headers will allow the reader to sort the table.

{{Static row numbers}}
{|class="wikitable sortable static-row-numbers" style=text-align:right 
|+
|-class=static-row-header style=vertical-align:bottom
! width="100" |[[Districts of Pakistan|District]]
! width="100" |Province
! width="130" |Total fertility rate
! width="130" |{{abbr|Margin of error|Margin of error refers to the difference between confidence limits and estimated Total fertility rate (found in the last few pages of the document)}}
! width="130" |Year of survey
! width="130" |[[2017 Pakistani census|2017]] Population
|-
| style=text-align:left |[[Lahore District|Lahore]]
| style=text-align:left |{{Flag|Punjab, Pakistan|name=Punjab}}
 |3.1
 |±0.2
 |2017–18<ref name="MICS Punjab 2017-18" />
 |11,119,985
|-
| style=text-align:left |[[Faisalabad District|Faisalabad]]
| style=text-align:left |{{Flag|Punjab, Pakistan|name=Punjab}}
 |3.3
 |±0.2
 |2017–18<ref name="MICS Punjab 2017-18" />
 |7,882,444
|-
| style=text-align:left |[[Rawalpindi District|Rawalpindi]]
| style=text-align:left |{{Flag|Punjab, Pakistan|name=Punjab}}
 |3.2
 |±0.2
 |2017–18<ref name="MICS Punjab 2017-18" />
 |5,402,380
|-
| style=text-align:left |[[Gujranwala District|Gujranwala]]
| style=text-align:left |{{Flag|Punjab, Pakistan|name=Punjab}}
 |3.4
 |±0.2
 |2017–18<ref name="MICS Punjab 2017-18" />
 |5,011,066
|-
| style=text-align:left |[[Rahim Yar Khan District|Rahim Yar Khan]]
| style=text-align:left |{{Flag|Punjab, Pakistan|name=Punjab}}
 |4.6
 |±0.4
 |2017–18<ref name="MICS Punjab 2017-18" />
 |4,807,762
|-
| style=text-align:left |[[Multan District|Multan]]
| style=text-align:left |{{Flag|Punjab, Pakistan|name=Punjab}}
 |3.6
 |±0.3
 |2017–18<ref name="MICS Punjab 2017-18" />
 |4,746,166
|-
| style=text-align:left |[[Peshawar District|Peshawar]]
| style=text-align:left |{{Flag|Khyber Pakhtunkhwa|name=KPK}}
 |4.0
 |±0.5
 |2019<ref name="MICS KPK 2019" />
 |4,331,959
|-
| style=text-align:left |[[Muzaffargarh District|Muzaffargarh]]
| style=text-align:left |{{Flag|Punjab, Pakistan|name=Punjab}}
 |4.7
 |±0.3
 |2017–18<ref name="MICS Punjab 2017-18" />
 |4,328,549
|-
| style=text-align:left |[[Karachi West District|Karachi West]]
| style=text-align:left |{{Flag|Sindh}}
 |{{abbr|2.2|This data includes the area now comprising Kemari District, which was split off after the survey was taken}}
 |±0.3
 |2018–19<ref name="MICS Sindh 2018-19" />
 |{{abbr|3,907,065|This data includes the area now comprising Kemari District, which was split off after the survey was taken}}
|-
| style=text-align:left |[[Sialkot District|Sialkot]]
| style=text-align:left |{{Flag|Punjab, Pakistan|name=Punjab}}
 |3.5
 |±0.3
 |2017–18<ref name="MICS Punjab 2017-18" />
 |3,894,938
|-
| style=text-align:left |[[Sargodha District|Sargodha]]
| style=text-align:left |{{Flag|Punjab, Pakistan|name=Punjab}}
 |3.6
 |±0.3
 |2017–18<ref name="MICS Punjab 2017-18" />
 |3,696,212
|-
| style=text-align:left |[[Bahawalpur District|Bahawalpur]]
| style=text-align:left |{{Flag|Punjab, Pakistan|name=Punjab}}
 |3.9
 |±0.4
 |2017–18<ref name="MICS Punjab 2017-18" />
 |3,669,176
|-
| style=text-align:left |[[Sheikhupura District|Sheikhupura]]
| style=text-align:left |{{Flag|Punjab, Pakistan|name=Punjab}}
 |3.7
 |±0.3
 |2017–18<ref name="MICS Punjab 2017-18" />
 |3,460,004
|-
| style=text-align:left |[[Qasur District|Qasur]]
| style=text-align:left |{{Flag|Punjab, Pakistan|name=Punjab}}
 |4.3
 |±0.3
 |2017–18<ref name="MICS Punjab 2017-18" />
 |3,454,881
|-
| style=text-align:left |[[Okara District|Okara]]
| style=text-align:left |{{Flag|Punjab, Pakistan|name=Punjab}}
 |4.3
 |±0.4
 |2017–18<ref name="MICS Punjab 2017-18" />
 |3,040,826
|-
| style=text-align:left |[[Bahawalnagar District|Bahawalnagar]]
| style=text-align:left |{{Flag|Punjab, Pakistan|name=Punjab}}
 |3.7
 |±0.3
 |2017–18<ref name="MICS Punjab 2017-18" />
 |2,975,656
|-
| style=text-align:left |[[Karachi Central District|Karachi Central]]
| style=text-align:left |{{Flag|Sindh}}
 |2.2
 |±0.3
 |2018–19<ref name="MICS Sindh 2018-19" />
 |2,971,382
|-
| style=text-align:left |[[Khanewal District|Khanewal]]
| style=text-align:left |{{Flag|Punjab, Pakistan|name=Punjab}}
 |4.0
 |±0.4
 |2017–18<ref name="MICS Punjab 2017-18" />
 |2,920,233
|-
| style=text-align:left |[[Vehari District|Vehari]]
| style=text-align:left |{{Flag|Punjab, Pakistan|name=Punjab}}
 |3.8
 |±0.3
 |2017–18<ref name="MICS Punjab 2017-18" />
 |2,902,081
|-
| style=text-align:left |[[Karachi East District|Karachi East]]
| style=text-align:left |{{Flag|Sindh}}
 |3.2
 |±0.4
 |2018–19<ref name="MICS Sindh 2018-19" />
 |2,875,315
|-
| style=text-align:left |[[Dera Ghazi Khan District|Dera Ghazi Khan]]
| style=text-align:left |{{Flag|Punjab, Pakistan|name=Punjab}}
 |5.4
 |±0.5
 |2017–18<ref name="MICS Punjab 2017-18" />
 |2,872,631
|-
| style=text-align:left |[[Gujrat District|Gujrat]]
| style=text-align:left |{{Flag|Punjab, Pakistan|name=Punjab}}
 |3.1
 |±0.2
 |2017–18<ref name="MICS Punjab 2017-18" />
 |2,756,289
|-
| style=text-align:left |[[Jhang District|Jhang]]
| style=text-align:left |{{Flag|Punjab, Pakistan|name=Punjab}}
 |4.3
 |±0.4
 |2017–18<ref name="MICS Punjab 2017-18" />
 |2,742,633
|-
| style=text-align:left |[[Korangi District|Korangi]]
| style=text-align:left |{{Flag|Sindh}}
 |2.5
 |±0.3
 |2018–19<ref name="MICS Sindh 2018-19" />
 |2,577,556
|-
| style=text-align:left |[[Sahiwal District|Sahiwal]]
| style=text-align:left |{{Flag|Punjab, Pakistan|name=Punjab}}
 |3.6
 |±0.4
 |2017–18<ref name="MICS Punjab 2017-18" />
 |2,513,011
|-
| style=text-align:left |[[Khairpur District|Khairpur]]
| style=text-align:left |{{Flag|Sindh}}
 |4.8
 |±0.8
 |2018–19<ref name="MICS Sindh 2018-19" />
 |2,405,190
|-
| style=text-align:left |[[Mardan District|Mardan]]
| style=text-align:left |{{Flag|Khyber Pakhtunkhwa|name=KPK}}
 |4.0
 |±0.3
 |2019<ref name="MICS KPK 2019" />
 |2,373,399
|-
| style=text-align:left |[[Swat District|Swat]]
| style=text-align:left |{{Flag|Khyber Pakhtunkhwa|name=KPK}}
 |4.5
 |±0.5
 |2019<ref name="MICS KPK 2019" />
 |2,308,624
|-
| style=text-align:left |[[Quetta District|Quetta]]
| style=text-align:left |{{Flag|Balochistan, Pakistan|name=Balochistan}}
 |4.7
 |±0.3
 |2019-20<ref name="MICS Balochistan 2019-20" />
 |2,269,473
|-
| style=text-align:left |[[Hyderabad District, Sindh|Hyderabad]]
| style=text-align:left |{{Flag|Sindh}}
 |3.0
 |±0.4
 |2018–19<ref name="MICS Sindh 2018-19" />
 |2,199,928
|-
| style=text-align:left |[[Toba Tek Singh District|Toba Tek Singh]]
| style=text-align:left |{{Flag|Punjab, Pakistan|name=Punjab}}
 |3.5
 |±0.3
 |2017–18<ref name="MICS Punjab 2017-18" />
 |2,191,495
|-
| style=text-align:left |[[Sanghar District|Sanghar]]
| style=text-align:left |{{Flag|Sindh}}
 |4.2
 |±0.4
 |2018–19<ref name="MICS Sindh 2018-19" />
 |2,049,873
|-
| style=text-align:left |[[Islamabad Capital Territory|Islamabad]]
| style=text-align:left |{{Flag|Islamabad|name=ICT}}
 |3.0
 |±0.3
 |2017–18<ref name="DHS 2017-18" />
 |2,003,368
|}

===Estimates from the United Nations===

In July 2022, the [[United Nations]] published its 2022 World Population Prospects, a biennially-updated database where key demographic indicators are estimated and projected worldwide down to the country level. They prepared the following estimates of demographic indicators in Pakistan for every year from 1950 to 2021, as well as projections for future decades.<ref name="UNWPP2019" /> This data includes Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:right"
|-class=static-row-header style=vertical-align:bottom
|-
!Year
!Mid-year<br />population
!Live births
!Deaths
!Annual<br />natural<br />increase
![[Birth rate|{{abbr|CBR|Crude Birth Rate (per 1,000)}}]]
![[Death rate|{{abbr|CDR|Crude Death Rate (per 1,000)}}]]
![[Rate of natural increase|{{abbr|RNC|Rate of Natural Change (per 1,000)}}]]
!Crude migration rate (per 1,000)
![[Infant mortality rate|{{abbr|IMR|Infant Mortality Rate (per 1,000)}}]]
![[Total fertility rate|{{abbr|TFR|Total Fertility Rate}}]]
!Life expectancy (Male)
!Life expectancy (Female)
|-
!1950 
|37,696,264 
|1,647,739 
|1,173,219 
|474,520 
|43.7 
|31.1 
|12.6 
| 
|263.4 
|6.80 
|36.2 
|33.4
|-
!1951 
|38,215,785 
|1,686,378 
|1,121,858 
|564,520 
|44.1 
|29.4 
|14.8 
| -1.0
|252.9 
|6.80 
|37.5 
|34.6
|-
!1952 
|38,816,777 
|1,727,288 
|1,089,817 
|637,471 
|44.5 
|28.1 
|16.4 
| -0.7
|243.3 
|6.80 
|38.6 
|35.8
|-
!1953 
|39,488,228 
|1,768,524 
|1,063,098 
|705,426 
|44.8 
|26.9 
|17.9 
| -0.6
|234.1 
|6.80 
|39.8 
|36.9
|-
!1954 
|40,224,090 
|1,810,574 
|1,044,277 
|766,297 
|45.0 
|26.0 
|19.0 
| -0.4
|225.6 
|6.80 
|40.7 
|37.9
|-
!1955 
|41,023,128 
|1,853,944 
|1,022,153 
|831,791 
|45.2 
|24.9 
|20.3 
| -0.4
|217.4 
|6.80 
|41.8 
|39.0
|-
!1956 
|41,884,995 
|1,900,510 
|1,008,574 
|891,936 
|45.4 
|24.1 
|21.3 
| -0.3
|209.6 
|6.80 
|42.7 
|39.8
|-
!1957 
|42,808,511 
|1,948,801 
|993,703 
|955,098 
|45.5 
|23.2 
|22.3 
| -0.3
|202.2 
|6.80 
|43.7 
|40.7
|-
!1958 
|43,794,993 
|1,999,584 
|981,704 
|1,017,880 
|45.6 
|22.4 
|23.2 
| -0.2
|195.2 
|6.80 
|44.6 
|41.6
|-
!1959 
|44,843,639 
|2,049,555 
|970,149 
|1,079,406 
|45.7 
|21.6 
|24.1 
| -0.2
|188.7 
|6.80 
|45.5 
|42.5
|-
!1960 
|45,954,226 
|2,102,786 
|961,020 
|1,141,766 
|45.7 
|20.9 
|24.8 
| 0
|182.6 
|6.80 
|46.3 
|43.4
|-
!1961 
|47,060,915 
|2,157,005 
|951,411 
|1,205,594 
|style="color:blue;"|45.8 
|20.2 
|25.6 
| -1.5
|176.7 
|6.80 
|47.2 
|44.2
|-
!1962 
|48,161,841 
|2,201,790 
|939,942 
|1,261,848 
|45.6 
|19.5 
|26.2 
| -2.8
|171.2 
|6.80 
|48.0 
|45.0
|-
!1963 
|49,325,050 
|2,247,761 
|922,383 
|1,325,378 
|45.5 
|18.7 
|26.8 
| -2.6
|166.0 
|6.80 
|48.8 
|46.3
|-
!1964 
|50,552,592 
|2,293,167 
|907,551 
|1,385,616 
|45.3 
|17.9 
|27.4 
| -2.5
|161.2 
|6.80 
|49.7 
|47.4
|-
!1965 
|51,841,626 
|2,340,733 
|897,333 
|1,443,400 
|45.1 
|17.3 
|27.8 
| -2.3
|157.5 
|6.80 
|50.3 
|48.5
|-
!1966 
|53,199,414 
|2,388,085 
|869,523 
|1,518,562 
|44.8 
|16.3 
|28.5 
| -2.3
|153.2 
|6.80 
|51.6 
|50.0
|-
!1967 
|54,629,793 
|2,438,389 
|854,112 
|1,584,277 
|44.6 
|15.6 
|29.0 
| -2.1
|149.9 
|6.80 
|52.6 
|51.2
|-
!1968 
|56,124,743 
|2,483,692 
|840,624 
|1,643,068 
|44.2 
|15.0 
|29.2 
| -1.8
|147.0 
|6.80 
|53.5 
|52.3
|-
!1969 
|57,676,805 
|2,524,648 
|831,202 
|1,693,446 
|43.7 
|14.4 
|29.3 
| -1.6
|144.5 
|6.80 
|54.2 
|53.3
|-
!1970 
|59,290,872 
|2,584,996 
|style="color:blue;"|818,806 
|1,766,190 
|43.5 
|13.8 
|29.8 
| -1.8
|142.1 
|6.80 
|55.0 
|54.6
|-
!1971 
|60,878,781 
|2,648,206 
|985,142 
|1,663,064 
|43.4 
|16.2 
|27.3 
| -0.5
|145.5 
|6.80 
|49.0 
|52.2
|-
!1972 
|62,509,565 
|2,712,779 
|838,978 
|1,873,801 
|43.3 
|13.4 
|29.9 
| -3.1
|137.9 
|style="color:blue;"|6.81 
|55.4 
|55.1
|-
!1973 
|64,285,624 
|2,785,335 
|852,459 
|1,932,876 
|43.3 
|13.2 
|30.0 
| -1.6
|136.0 
|6.81 
|55.5 
|55.5
|-
!1974 
|66,149,169 
|2,853,960 
|874,080 
|1,979,880 
|43.1 
|13.2 
|29.9 
| -0.9
|134.3 
|6.81 
|55.4 
|55.6
|-
!1975 
|68,126,999 
|2,931,237 
|882,423 
|2,048,814 
|43.0 
|13.0 
|30.1 
| -0.2
|132.5 
|6.81 
|55.8 
|56.2
|-
!1976 
|70,230,923 
|3,015,342 
|900,018 
|2,115,324 
|42.9 
|12.8 
|30.1 
| 0.8
|131.0 
|6.81 
|55.9 
|56.5
|-
!1977 
|72,451,105 
|3,116,181 
|922,294 
|2,193,887 
|43.0 
|12.7 
|30.3 
| 1.3
|129.6 
|6.80 
|55.8 
|56.9
|-
!1978 
|74,789,330 
|3,223,019 
|934,553 
|2,288,466 
|43.1 
|12.5 
|30.6 
| 1.7
|128.1 
|6.78 
|56.3 
|57.4
|-
!1979 
|77,407,341 
|3,337,688 
|950,235 
|2,387,453 
|43.2 
|12.3 
|30.9 
| 4.1 
|126.6 
|6.76 
|56.5 
|58.1
|-
!1980 
|80,624,057 
|3,487,787 
|970,044 
|2,517,743 
|43.5 
|12.1 
|31.4 
| 10.2
|125.1 
|6.73 
|56.8 
|58.6
|-
!1981 
|84,270,202 
|3,700,274 
|1,001,060 
|2,699,214 
|44.2 
|11.9 
|32.2 
| 13.0
|123.6 
|6.70 
|57.1 
|59.3
|-
!1982 
|87,828,198 
|3,903,191 
|1,035,663 
|2,867,528 
|44.6 
|11.8 
|32.7 
| 9.5
|122.1 
|6.67 
|57.4 
|59.8
|-
!1983 
|91,080,372 
|4,067,866 
|1,057,064 
|3,010,802 
|44.7 
|11.6 
|style="color:blue;"|33.1 
| 3.9
|120.5 
|6.64 
|57.7 
|60.5
|-
!1984 
|94,003,867 
|4,188,905 
|1,075,240 
|3,113,665 
|44.5 
|11.4 
|33.1 
| -1.0
|118.8 
|6.62 
|58.0 
|61.0
|-
!1985 
|97,121,552 
|4,291,612 
|1,100,992 
|3,190,620 
|44.2 
|11.4 
|32.9 
| 0.3
|117.0 
|6.59 
|58.5 
|60.4
|-
!1986 
|100,618,523 
|4,453,073 
|1,131,849 
|3,321,224 
|44.3 
|11.3 
|33.0 
| 3.0
|115.2 
|6.55 
|58.8 
|60.3
|-
!1987 
|104,251,093 
|4,602,418 
|1,185,062 
|3,417,356 
|44.2 
|11.4 
|32.8  
| 3.3
|113.3 
|6.52 
|58.5 
|59.8
|-
!1988 
|107,967,838 
|4,749,506 
|1,208,574 
|3,540,932 
|44.0 
|11.2 
|32.8
| 2.9 
|111.5 
|6.48 
|58.5 
|60.4
|-
!1989 
|111,670,386 
|4,877,528 
|1,229,672 
|3,647,856 
|43.7 
|11.0 
|32.7 
| 1.6
|109.6 
|6.43 
|58.7 
|60.7
|-
!1990 
|115,414,069 
|4,979,805 
|1,238,482 
|3,741,323 
|43.1 
|10.7 
|32.4 
| 1.1
|107.8 
|6.36 
|59.0 
|61.4
|-
!1991 
|119,203,569 
|5,070,548 
|1,256,930 
|3,813,618 
|42.5 
|10.5 
|32.0 
| 0.8
|105.9 
|6.29 
|59.4 
|61.3
|-
!1992 
|122,375,179 
|5,146,942 
|1,290,628 
|3,856,314 
|41.8 
|10.5 
|31.3 
| -4.7
|103.9 
|6.21 
|59.6 
|60.7
|-
!1993 
|125,546,615 
|5,116,844 
|1,309,418 
|3,807,426 
|40.8 
|10.4 
|30.3 
| -4.4
|101.7 
|6.11 
|59.6 
|60.4
|-
!1994 
|129,245,139 
|5,188,381 
|1,321,834 
|3,866,547 
|40.1 
|10.2 
|29.9 
| -0.4
|99.5 
|6.01 
|59.7 
|60.6
|-
!1995 
|133,117,476 
|5,214,150 
|1,355,586 
|3,858,564 
|39.2 
|10.2 
|29.0 
| 1.0
|97.2 
|5.89 
|59.5 
|60.4
|-
!1996 
|137,234,810 
|5,283,367 
|1,351,457 
|3,931,910 
|38.5 
|9.9 
|28.7 
| 2.2
|94.7 
|5.77 
|59.9 
|61.1
|-
!1997 
|141,330,267 
|5,323,160 
|1,363,688 
|3,959,472 
|37.7 
|9.7 
|28.0 
| 1.8
|92.3 
|5.64 
|59.9 
|61.5
|-
!1998 
|145,476,106 
|5,391,873 
|1,360,060 
|4,031,813 
|37.1 
|9.4 
|27.7 
| 1.6
|89.9 
|5.51 
|60.2 
|62.1
|-
!1999 
|149,694,462 
|5,457,820 
|1,350,165 
|4,107,655 
|36.5 
|9.0 
|27.5 
| 1.5
|87.5 
|5.39 
|60.8 
|62.8
|-
!2000 
|154,369,924 
|5,503,880 
|1,349,760 
|4,154,120 
|35.8 
|8.8 
|27.0 
| 4.2
|85.3 
|5.26 
|61.2 
|63.1
|-
!2001 
|159,217,727 
|5,621,718 
|1,365,265 
|4,256,453 
|35.3 
|8.6 
|26.8 
| 4.6
|83.3 
|5.12 
|61.4 
|63.6
|-
!2002 
|163,262,807 
|5,707,878 
|1,383,913 
|4,323,965 
|34.9 
|8.5 
|26.4 
| -1.0
|81.5 
|5.01 
|61.7 
|63.7
|-
!2003 
|166,876,680 
|5,705,869 
|1,389,323 
|4,316,546 
|34.1 
|8.3 
|25.8 
| -3.7
|79.8 
|4.89 
|61.9 
|64.0
|-
!2004 
|170,648,620 
|5,728,041 
|1,397,637 
|4,330,404 
|33.5 
|8.2 
|25.3 
| -2.7
|78.4 
|4.69 
|61.9 
|64.4
|-
!2005 
|174,372,098 
|5,741,665 
|1,467,794 
|4,273,871 
|32.9 
|8.4 
|24.5 
| -2.7
|77.9 
|4.59 
|61.2 
|64.0
|-
!2006 
|178,069,984 
|5,780,328 
|1,397,071 
|4,383,257 
|33.2 
|7.9 
|25.3 
| -3.4
|75.7 
|4.59 
|62.1 
|65.7
|-
!2007 
|181,924,521 
|5,939,254 
|1,421,100 
|4,518,154 
|33.3
|7.8 
|25.4 
| -3.2
|74.5 
|4.55 
|61.9 
|66.1
|-
!2008 
|185,931,955 
|6,026,112 
|1,440,035 
|4,586,077 
|33.6
|7.8 
|25.8 
| -2.6
|73.1 
|4.52 
|61.9 
|66.5
|-
!2009 
|190,123,222 
|6,126,953 
|1,466,094 
|4,660,859 
|33.6
|7.7 
|25.9 
| -2.0
|71.8 
|4.47 
|62.1 
|66.5
|-
!2010 
|194,454,498 
|6,251,649 
|1,479,575 
|4,772,074 
|33.5
|7.7
|25.8 
| -1.7
|70.5 
|4.40 
|62.3 
|66.9
|-
!2011 
|198,602,738 
|6,344,791 
|1,497,860 
|4,846,931 
|33.0
|7.6
|25.5 
| -3.0
|68.8 
|4.31 
|62.5 
|67.1
|-
!2012 
|202,205,861 
|6,416,601 
|1,518,663 
|4,897,938 
|32.5
|7.5 
|25.0 
| -6.0
|67.1 
|4.20 
|62.7 
|67.2
|-
!2013 
|205,337,562 
|style="color:blue;"|6,432,644 
|1,512,911 
|style="color:blue;"|4,919,733 
|31.9 
|7.4
|24.5 
| -8.3
|65.5 
|4.12
|63.0 
|67.6
|-
!2014 
|208,251,628 
|6,374,716 
|1,522,217 
|4,852,499 
|31.3
|7.3 
|24.0 
| -9.0
|63.8 
|4.06
|63.1 
|67.7
|-
!2015 
|210,969,298 
|6,297,466 
|1,504,820 
|4,792,646 
|30.7 
|7.2 
|23.5 
| -9.6
|62.1 
|3.99
|63.5 
|68.2
|-
!2016 
|213,524,840 
|6,291,208 
|1,510,500 
|4,780,708 
|30.0
|7.0 
|22.9 
| -10.2
|60.4 
|3.90 
|63.7 
|68.3
|-
!2017 
|216,379,655
|6,289,965 
|1,496,276 
|4,793,689 
|29.7 
|6.9 
|22.8 
| -8.7
|58.8 
|3.90 
|64.0 
|68.8
|-
!2018 
|219,731,479 
|6,302,081 
|1,508,129 
|4,793,952 
|29.3
|6.9
|22.5 
| -6.3
|57.1 
|3.86
|64.2 
|69.0
|-
!2019 
|223,293,280 
|6,330,933 
|1,514,600 
|4,816,333 
|29.0 
|6.8 
|22.2 
| -5.3
|55.5 
|3.81
|64.6 
|69.1
|-
!2020 
|227,196,741 
|6,362,705 
|1,606,293 
|4,756,412 
|28.6 
|7.3
|21.3 
| -3.4
|53.9 
|3.77 
|63.9 
|68.8
|-
!2021 
|231,402,117 
|6,374,741 
|style="color:red;"|1,660,400 
|4,714,341 
|28.4
|7.2 
|21.2 
| -1.9
|52.3 
|3.72
|63.8 
|68.6
|-
!2022
|
|
|
|
|28.1
|6.5 
|21.6
|
|
|3.66
| 
|
|-
!2023
|
|
|
|
|27.8
|6.5
|21.3
|
|
|3.61
| 
|
|-
!2024
|
|
|
|
|27.4
|6.4 
|21.0
|
|
|3.55
| 
|
|-
!2025
|
|
|
|
|27.1
|6.4
|20.6
|
|
|3.50
| 
|
|}

[[File:Life expectancy in Pakistan.svg|thumb|300px|Life expectancy in Pakistan since 1921]]
[[File:Life expectancy by WBG -Pakistan -diff.png|thumb|300px|Life expectancy in Pakistan since 1960 by gender]]

==Human development==

===Human Development Index===
{{Further|List of administrative units of Pakistan by Human Development Index}}

Pakistan's [[Human Development Index]] (HDI) value for 2018 is in the medium human development category with a score of 0.560 (152nd rank out of 189 countries and territories) compared to [[List of countries by Human Development Index|0.614 (135th rank) for Bangladesh]] and [[List of Indian states and territories by Human Development Index|0.647 (129th rank) for India]]. From 1990 to 2018, Pakistan's HDI increased 38.6% from 0.404 to 0.560.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://hdr.undp.org/en/2018-update| title = 2019 HD Report| date = January 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = http://hdr.undp.org/sites/all/themes/hdr_theme/country-notes/PAK.pdf| title = Human Development Indices and Indicators: 2018 Statistical Update: Pakistan}}</ref>

2018 Information on Pakistani provinces/regions, compared to other countries, estimated at three decimal places is provided below:<ref name="Subnational HDR">{{Cite web|title=Sub-national HDI – Area Database – Global Data Lab |website=hdi.globaldatalab.org|url=https://hdi.globaldatalab.org/areadata/shdi/|access-date=3 December 2018}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Rank
!Region
!HDI (2018)<ref name="Subnational HDR"/>
|-
! colspan="3" style="color:#fc0;" |Medium human development
|-
|1
|[[Islamabad Capital Territory]]
|0.875 {{decrease}}
|-
|2
|[[Azad Jammu & Kashmir]]
|0.611 {{decrease}}
|-
|3
|[[Gilgit-Baltistan]]
|0.593 {{increase}}
|-
|4
|[[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab]]
|0.567 {{increase}}
|- style="background:#e6e6e6"
|–
|{{PAK}} '''(average)'''
|0.561 {{increase}}
|-
! colspan="3" style="color:#900;" |Low human development
|-
|5
|[[Sindh]]
|0.533 {{decrease}}
|-
|6
|[[Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]]
|0.529 {{decrease}}
|-
|7
|[[Balochistan, Pakistan|Balochistan]]
|0.477 {{increase}}
|-
|8
|[[FATA]]
|0.466 {{decrease}}
|}

===Literacy===
Definition: A person who can read a newspaper and write a simple letter in any language with understanding and can make simple calculation is treated as literate. Literacy rates for the population over 10 years old as of 2023 are below.<ref name="keyfindings2023" />

{| class=wikitable
| Total population || {{Percentage bar|62.85}}
|-
| Urban || {{Percentage bar|77.09}}
|-
| Rural || {{Percentage bar|55.56}}
|}

===Educational institutions by kind===
* Primary schools: 156,592
* [[Middle school]]s: 320,611
* High schools: 23,964
* [[College of Arts and Sciences]]: 3,213
* [[Undergraduate education|Degree colleges]]: 1,202
* [[Vocational education|Technical and vocational institutions]]: 3,125
* Universities: 197<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hec.gov.pk/OurInstitutes/Pages/Default.aspx|title=HEC recognized Universities|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209080426/http://www.hec.gov.pk/OurInstitutes/Pages/Default.aspx|archive-date=9 February 2014}}</ref><ref name="Pakistan Education Statistics 2007–08">{{cite web |url=http://www.moe.gov.pk/Pakistan%20Education%20Statistics%2007-08.pdf |title=Pakistan Education Statistics 2007–08 |access-date=2010-07-29 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111002183659/http://www.moe.gov.pk/Pakistan%20Education%20Statistics%2007-08.pdf |archive-date=2 October 2011}}</ref>

==Nationality, ethnicity, and language==

===Ethnic groups===
{{Main|Ethnic groups in Pakistan}}{{Pie chart
|thumb = right
|caption = Ethnic groups in Pakistan ([[World Factbook]])<ref name="CIAWF22" />
|label1 = [[Punjabis]]
|value1 = 44.7
|color1 = Green
|label2 = [[Pashtuns]]
|value2 = 15.4
|color2 = Red
|label3 = [[Sindhis]]
|value3 = 14.1
|color3 = Black
|label4 = [[Saraikis]]
|value4 = 8.4
|color4 = Maroon
|label5 = [[Muhajir (Urdu-speaking people)|Muhajirs]]
|value5 = 7.6
|color5 = DarkGreen
|label6 = [[Baloch people|Baloch]]
|value6 = 3.6
|color6 = White
|label7 = Others
|value7 = 6.3
|color7 = Grey
}}

The major [[ethnolinguistic group]]s of [[Pakistan]] include [[Punjabis]], [[Pashtuns]], [[Sindhis]], [[Saraiki people|Saraikis]], [[Muhajir (Urdu-speaking people)|Muhajirs]], [[Baloch people|Balochs]], [[Hindkowans]]/[[Hazarewal|Hazarewals]], [[Brahuis]], [[Meo (ethnic group)|Meos]], and [[Indus Kohistani people|Kohistanis]]<ref name="CIAWF22" />{{efn|Ethnolinguistic groups with a population of more than a million each.<ref name="2023Language">{{cite web |title=Population by Mother Tongue, Sex and Rural/Urban, Census–2023 |url=https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files/population/2023/tables/national/table_11.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241220005033/https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files/population/2023/tables/national/table_11.pdf |archive-date=20 December 2024|website=pbs.gov.pk |publisher=[[Pakistan Bureau Statistics]]}}</ref>}} with significant numbers of [[Shina people|Shina]], [[Balti people|Baltis]], [[Kashmiris]], [[Pahari people (Kashmir)|Paharis]], [[Chitralis]], [[Torwali people|Torwalis]], [[Hazaras]], [[Burusho people|Burusho]], [[Wakhi people|Wakhis]], [[Kalash people|Kalash]], [[Siddi|Siddis]] and other various minorities.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Qadeer |first=Mohammad |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ll02P7G5XD8C&pg=PA40 |title=Pakistan - Social and Cultural Transformations in a Muslim Nation |date=2006-11-22 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-134-18617-4 |pages=70 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Ali |first1=Shaheen Sardar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=60VAsoo-huYC&q=pakistan+ethnic+groups |title=Indigenous Peoples and Ethnic Minorities of Pakistan: Constitutional and Legal Perspectives |last2=Rehman |first2=Javaid |date=2013-02-01 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-136-77868-1 |language=en}}</ref>

Pakistan's census does not include the 1.4&nbsp;million [[Afghan identity card|citizens of Afghanistan]] who are temporarily residing in [[Afghans in Pakistan|Pakistan]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Registered Afghan Refugees in Pakistan |publisher=UNHCR|date=December 31, 2020|url=https://data2.unhcr.org/en/country/pak|access-date=2021-07-30}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Onward Movements of Afghan Refugees|date=March–April 2021 |url=https://reporting.unhcr.org/sites/default/files/Statistical%20Factsheet%20Onward%20movements%20of%20Afghan%20refugees%20March-April%202021.pdf|publisher=UNHCR|access-date=2021-08-20}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.unhcr.org/pk/12999-government-to-deliver-first-new-por-smartcards-to-afghan-refugees.html |title=Government delivered first new Proof of Registration smartcards to Afghan refugees |date=May 25, 2021 |access-date=2021-07-30}}</ref> Majority of them were born in Pakistan within the last four decades and are ethnically [[Pashtuns]], [[Tajiks]], [[Uzbeks]] and others.<ref>{{cite web |date=November 2016 |title=Voluntary Repatriation Update |publisher=UNHCR |location=Pakistan |url=http://unhcrpk.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/VolRep_Summary_20161101_v1.pdf |access-date=2017-11-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170220173655/http://unhcrpk.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/VolRep_Summary_20161101_v1.pdf |archive-date=2017-02-20 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Foreign-born population in Pakistan===
{{Main|Immigration to Pakistan}}
After the [[Partition of India|independence]] of [[Pakistan]] in 1947, millions of Muslims from India migrated to Pakistan and they are the largest group of foreign-born residents. This group is dwindling because of its age. The second-largest group of foreign-born residents consists of [[refugees]] from Afghanistan who are expected to leave Pakistan sometime before 2030.<ref name="auto">{{cite news |url= https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2025/3/31/this-is-our-home-d-day-arrives-for-afghans-facing-pakistan-deportation |title=This is our Home. D-Day arrives for Afghans facing Pakistan deportation.|date=31 March 2025 |access-date=2025-04-03}}</ref> There are also smaller groups of Muslim immigrants from countries such as [[Burma]], [[Bangladesh]], [[Iraq]], [[Somalia]], [[Iran]], [[Tajikistan]], and [[Uzbekistan]], among others.{{citation needed|date=December 2017}}

{|
|
{| class="sortable wikitable" style="margin: 0 0 0 0;"
|-
! Year||Population||Foreign born||Percentage foreign born
|-
| 1960||46,259,000||6,350,296||13.73%
|-
| 1970||59,565,000||5,105,556||8.57%
|-
| 1980||79,297,000||5,012,524||6.32%
|-
| 1990||111,698,000||6,555,782||5.87%
|-
| 2000||142,648,000||4,242,689||2.97%
|-
| 2005||157,935,000||3,254,112||2.06%
|}
| [[File:Percentage Foreign Born - Pakistan.jpg|frameless|350px|none]]
|-
| Source:<ref name="gum – globalization urbanization migration">{{cite web |title=Pakistan |website=gum: globalization urbanization migration |url=http://gstudynet.org/gum/Pakistan.htm |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110104014238/http://gstudynet.org/gum/Pakistan.htm |archive-date=4 January 2011}}</ref>
| Mostly those born before 1947
|}

===Languages===
{{Main|Languages of Pakistan}}{{Pie chart|thumb=left|caption=Languages of Pakistan (2023 census)<ref name="2023Language" />|label1=[[Punjabi language|Punjabi]]|value1=36.98|color1=Red|label2=[[Pashto]]|value2=18.15|color2=Yellow|label3=[[Sindhi language|Sindhi]]|value3=14.31|color3=Purple|label4=[[Saraiki language|Saraiki]]|value4=12.00|color4=Orange|label5=[[Urdu]]|value5=9.25|color5=Green|label6=[[Balochi language|Balochi]]|value6=3.38|color6=Blue|label7=[[Hindko]]|value7=2.32|color7=Lime|label8=[[Brahui language|Brahui]]|value8=1.16|color8=Violet|label9=[[Mewati language|Mewati]]|value9=0.46|color9=Black|value10=0.43|label10=[[Kohistani language|Kohistani]]|value11=0.11|value12=0.05|label11=[[Kashmiri language|Kashmiri]]|label12=[[Shina language|Shina]]|value13=0.02|label13=[[Balti language|Balti]]|value14=0.003|label14=[[Kalasha language|Kalasha]]|value15=1.38|label15=Others|color10=Brown|color11=Aqua|color12=Pink|color14=White|color15=Grey}}[[Pakistan]] is a [[List of multilingual countries and regions|multilingual country]] with dozens of regional languages spoken as [[first language]]s by various ethnolinguistic groups.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Ashraf |first=Hina |date=2022-03-22 |title=The ambivalent role of Urdu and English in multilingual Pakistan: a Bourdieusian study |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/s10993-022-09623-6 |journal=Language Policy |volume=22 |issue=1 |pages=25–48 |doi=10.1007/s10993-022-09623-6 |issn=1573-1863 |pmc=8939399 |pmid=35340722}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last1=Ashraf |first1=Muhammad Azeem |last2=Turner |first2=David A. |last3=Laar |first3=Rizwan Ahmed |date=January 2021 |title=Multilingual Language Practices in Education in Pakistan: The Conflict Between Policy and Practice |journal=SAGE Open |volume=11 |issue=1 |pages=215824402110041 |doi=10.1177/21582440211004140 |s2cid=232484396 |issn=2158-2440|doi-access=free }}</ref> The majority Pakistan's languages belong to the [[Indo-Iranian languages|Indo-Iranian]] group of the [[Indo-European languages|Indo-European language family]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rengel |first=Marian |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WJMlW-zDE14C&pg=PA38 |title=Pakistan: A Primary Source Cultural Guide |date=2003-12-15 |publisher=The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc |isbn=978-0-8239-4001-1 |pages=38}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Kachru |first1=Braj B. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O2n4sFGDEMYC&pg=PA34 |title=Language in South Asia |last2=Kachru |first2=Yamuna |last3=Sridhar |first3=S. N. |date=2008-03-27 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-139-46550-2 |pages=34}}</ref>

[[Urdu]] is the [[national language]] and the [[lingua franca]] of Pakistan, and while sharing official status with [[English language|English]], it is the preferred and dominant language used for communication between different ethnic groups.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> Despite Urdu being the country's lingua franca, estimates on how many languages are spoken in the country range from 75 to 85,<ref>{{cite web |editor-last1=Simons |editor-first1=Gary F. |editor-last2=Fennig |editor-first2=Charles D. |title=Pakistan – Languages |url=https://www.ethnologue.com/country/PK/languages |work=Ethnologue: Languages of the World |year=2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170902143126/https://www.ethnologue.com/country/pk/languages |archive-date=2017-09-02 |url-status=deviated |edition=20th}}</ref><ref name="GlottologPK">{{cite web |title=Languages of Pakistan |url=https://glottolog.org/glottolog/language.map.html?country=PK#4/33.01/73.28 |website=Glottolog 4.5 – Languages |publisher=Glottolog |access-date=12 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220512205543/https://glottolog.org/glottolog/language.map.html?country=PK#4/33.01/73.28 |archive-date=12 May 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref> and in 2023, the country's three largest [[ethnolinguistic group]]s were the [[Punjabis]] (making up 36.98% of the total population), the [[Pashtuns]] (18.15%), and the [[Sindhis]] (14.31%).<ref name="keyfindings2023" /> Languages with more than a million speakers each include [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]], [[Pashto]], [[Sindhi language|Sindhi]], [[Saraiki language|Saraiki]], [[Urdu]], [[Balochi language|Balochi]], [[Hindko]], [[Brahui language|Brahui]], [[Mewati language|Mewati]] and [[Indus Kohistani|Kohistani]].<ref name="2017CensusLanguage">{{cite web |date=2021 |title=Table 11 – Population by Mother Tongue, Sex and Rural/Urban |url=https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files//population_census/census_2017_tables/pakistan/Table11n.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220409115251/https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files//population_census/census_2017_tables/pakistan/Table11n.pdf |archive-date=9 April 2022 |access-date=12 May 2022 |website=www.pbs.gov.pk |publisher=Pakistan Bureau of Statistics}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rana |first=Shahbaz |date=2024-07-19 |title=Pakistan 27th in global population growth |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/2480881/pakistan-27th-in-global-population-growth |access-date=2024-07-23 |website=The Express Tribune |language=en |quote=One of the questions in the population census was about the mother-tongue. The number of Urdu speaking people have increased to 9.3% by 2023. But Punjabi-origin people have reduced to 37%. There is also a reduction in the Sindh language speaking people from 14.6% to 14.3%. the Pashto speaking people reduced from 18.3% to 18.2% but Balochi-language people increased from 3% to 3.4%. The number of Saraiki-language people was reduced from 12.2% to 12%.}}</ref>

[[Ethnologue]] lists 74 languages in Pakistan. Of these, 66 are indigenous and 8 are non-indigenous. In terms of their vitality, 7 are classified as 'institutional', 17 are 'developing', 37 are 'vigorous', 10 are 'in trouble', and 3 are 'dying'.<ref>{{Cite web |editor-last1=Eberhard |editor-first1=David M. |editor-last2=Simons |editor-first2=Gary F. |editor-last3=Fennig |editor-first3=Charles D. |year=2019 |title=Pakistan: Status |work=Ethnologue: Languages of the World |edition=22nd |url=https://www.ethnologue.com/country/pk/status |url-status=deviated |archive-date=17 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190417190054/https://www.ethnologue.com/country/PK/status}}</ref>

==Religion==
{{Main|Religion in Pakistan}}
{{Pie chart
|thumb = right
|caption = Religion in Pakistan (2023 census)<ref name="keyfindings2023" />
|label1 = [[Islam]] 
|value1 = 96.35
|color1 = Green
|label2 = [[Hinduism]]
|value2= 2.17
|color2=Orange
|label3 = [[Christianity]]
|value3 = 1.37
|color3 = Blue
|value4=0.11|color4=Gray|label4=Others}}
According to the [[The World Factbook|World Factbook]], [[Library of Congress Country Studies|Library of Congress]], [[Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies|Oxford University]], over 96% of the population of Pakistan is Muslim and the remaining 4% is Hindu, Christian, and others.<ref name="Oxford">{{cite web |url=http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/opr/t125/e1809?_hi=1&_pos=1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130618023219/http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/opr/t125/e1809?_hi=1&_pos=1 |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 June 2013 |title=Pakistan, Islam in |access-date=29 August 2010 |work=[[Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies]] |quote=Approximately 97 percent of Pakistanis are Muslim. The majority are Sunnis following the Hanafi school of Islamic law. Between 20 and 25 percent are Shias, mostly Twelvers. |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]}}</ref><ref name="CIA">{{cite web |url= https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2122.html?countryName=Pakistan&countryCode=pk&regionCode=sas&#pk |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090617014724/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2122.html?countryName=Pakistan&countryCode=PK&regionCode=sas&#pk |url-status= dead |archive-date= 17 June 2009 |title=Religions: Muslim 95% (Sunni 65%, Shia 30%), other (includes Hindus and Christians ) 5% |access-date=24 August 2010 |publisher=[[Central Intelligence Agency]] |year=2010}}</ref><ref name="LoC">{{cite web |url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/profiles/Pakistan.pdf |title=Country Profile: Pakistan |date=February 2005 |work=[[Library of Congress Country Studies]] on Pakistan |quote=''Religion: The overwhelming majority of the population (96 percent) is Muslim, of whom approximately 75 percent are Sunni and 25 percent Shi'a.'' |publisher=[[Library of Congress]] |access-date=1 September 2010}}</ref> Majority of the Muslims practice [[Sunni Islam|Sunni]] with a significant minority of [[Shi'a Islam in Pakistan|Shi'as]].

Nearly all Pakistani Sunni Muslims belong to the [[Hanafi]] school, although there are some Hanbalis and [[Ahl-i Hadith|Ahl-e-Hadees]]. The majority of Shia Muslims belong to the [[Twelver|Ithnā'Ashariyyah]] branch,<ref name="Oxford"/> while a smaller number practice [[Ismailism]]. There are small non-Muslim religious groups, including [[Christians]], [[Ahmadiyya|Ahmadi]]s, [[Hindu]]s, [[Buddhist]]s, [[Sikh]]s, [[Baháʼí Faith|Baháʼís]] and [[Zoroastrianism|Zoroastrians]] ([[Parsi people|Parsis]]),<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Fuchs |first1=Maria-Magdalena |last2=Fuchs |first2=Simon Wolfgang |date=2019-12-12 |title=Religious Minorities in Pakistan: Identities, Citizenship and Social Belonging |journal=South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies |volume=43 |issue=1 |pages=52–67 |doi=10.1080/00856401.2020.1695075 |s2cid=214107453 |issn=0085-6401|doi-access=free }}</ref>

{{Bar chart
| title = Religious breakdown of the Pakistani population as of Pakistan Census 2023:
| label_type = Religion | data_type = Population
|label1= [[Islam in Pakistan|Muslims]] |data1= 231,686,709
|label2= [[Hinduism in Pakistan|Hindus]] |data2= 5,217,216
|label3= [[Christianity in Pakistan|Christians]] |data3= 3,300,788
|label5= [[Ahmadiyya in Pakistan|Ahmadiyya]] |data5= 162,684
|data6=90,692|label6=Others}}

=== Recent changes and detailed demographic data ===

[[Pakistan Bureau of Statistics]] released religious data of Pakistan Census 2017 on 19 May 2021.<ref name="pbk2021">{{cite web|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1624375/pakistans-population-is-20768m-shows-2017-census-result|title=Pakistan's population is 207.68m, shows 2017 census result|date=19 May 2021 }}</ref> 96.47% are Muslims, followed by 2.174% Hindus, 1.27% Christians, 0.09% Ahmadis and 0.02% others.

The 2017 census showed marginal increase in the share of [[Hindus]].The census also recorded Pakistan's first Hindu-majority district, called [[Umerkot District]].

On the other hand, [[Christianity]] in Pakistan, while increasing in raw numbers, has fallen significantly in percentage terms since the last census. Christians are concentrated in the most developed parts of Pakistan, [[Lahore District]] (over 5% Christian), [[Islamabad Capital Territory]] (over 4% Christian), and Northern Punjab.

The [[Ahmadiyya]] movement shrunk in size (both raw numbers and percentage) between 1998 and 2017, while remaining concentrated in [[Lalian Tehsil]], [[Chiniot District]], where approximately 13% of the population is Ahmadiyya.
{{multiple image |align=center |total_width=960 | caption_align = center

|header_align=left
|header=Here are some maps of [[Pakistan]]'s religious minority groups as of the 2017 census by district:

|image1=Hindu Proportion by Pakistani District - 2017 Census.svg
|caption1=Hindu Proportion of each Pakistani District of each Pakistani District as of the [[2017 Pakistan Census]]
|image3=Christian Proportion by Pakistani District - 2017 Census.svg
|caption3=Christian Proportion of each Pakistani District of each Pakistani District as of the [[2017 Pakistan Census]]
|image2=Qadiani Proportion by Pakistani District - 2017 Census.svg
|caption2=Ahmadiyya Proportion of each Pakistani District of each Pakistani District as of the [[2017 Pakistan Census]]

|footer_align=left
|footer=Virtually all people not belonging to one of these minority groups were Sunni or Shia Muslim, with the most religiously homogeneous areas found in [[Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]].
}}

==Pakistanis around the world==
{{main|Overseas Pakistanis}}
{| class="wikitable"
| {{flag|Saudi Arabia}}||align="right"| 4,000,000</tr>

| {{flag|United Arab Emirates}}||align="right"| 1,600,000 </tr>
| {{flag|United Kingdom}}||align="right"| 1,200,000</tr>
| {{flag|United States}}||align="right"| 687,942<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2023/09/2020-census-dhc-a-asian-population.html|title=U.S. Census website|author=Data Access and Dissemination Systems (DADS)|access-date=14 January 2024}}</ref></tr>
| {{flag|Canada}}||align="right"| 215,000<ref name="www12.statcan.gc.ca">{{cite web|url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/dt-td/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&APATH=3&DETAIL=0&DIM=0&FL=A&FREE=0&GC=0&GID=0&GK=0&GRP=1&PID=110528&PRID=10&PTYPE=109445&S=0&SHOWALL=0&SUB=0&Temporal=2017&THEME=120&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF=|title=Immigration and Ethnocultural Diversity Highlight Tables – Ethnic Origin, both sexes, age (total), Canada, 2016 Census – 25% Sample data|first=Government of Canada, Statistics|last=Canada|website=www12.statcan.gc.ca|date=25 October 2017 }}</ref></tr>
| {{flag|Kuwait}}||align="right"| 190,000</tr>
| {{flag|South Africa}}||align="right"| 180,000<ref>{{cite web|url=http://psaa.org.za|title=About PSAA |access-date=29 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190921093651/http://psaa.org.za/ |archive-date=21 September 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref></tr>
| {{flag|Oman}}||align="right"| 385,000</tr>
|  {{flag|Australia}}||align="right"| 61,913<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sbs.com.au/yourlanguage/urdu/en/article/2017/06/28/most-pakistanis-and-urdu-speakers-live-australian-state|title=Most Pakistanis and Urdu speakers live in this Australian state|website=sbs.com.au|access-date=27 March 2018}}</ref></tr>
| {{flag|Germany}}||align="right"| 179,668</tr>
| {{flag|Qatar}}||align="right"| 52,500</tr>
| {{flag|France}}||align="right"| 50,000</tr>
| {{flag|Norway}}||align="right"| 39,257<ref>{{Cite web|title=05183: Innvandrere og norskfødte med innvandrerforeldre, etter kjønn og landbakgrunn 1970–2021-PX-Web SSB|url=https://www.ssb.no/system/|access-date=2021-09-27|website=SSB|language=no}}</ref></tr>
| {{flag|Denmark}}||align="right"| 21,000</tr>
| {{flag|New Zealand}}||align="right"| 10,000</tr>
| {{flag|Ireland}}||align="right"| 9,501</tr>
| {{flag|Japan}}||align="right"| 22,118<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.e-stat.go.jp/stat-search/files?page=1&layout=datalist&toukei=00250012&tstat=000001018034&cycle=1&year=20220&month=24101212&tclass1=000001060399 | title=在留外国人統計（旧登録外国人統計） 在留外国人統計 月次 2022年12月 &#124; ファイル &#124; 統計データを探す |language=ja}}</ref></tr>
|}

==See also==

* [[Minorities in Pakistan]]
* [[Ethnic groups of Pakistan]]
* [[Languages of Pakistan]]
* [[List of districts of Pakistan by literacy rate]]
* [[List of districts of Pakistan by types of households]]
* [[Indo-Iranians]]
* [[Demography|Demographics]]
** [[Demographics of Punjab, Pakistan]]
** [[Demographics of Sindh]]
** [[Demographics of Balochistan, Pakistan]]
** [[Demographics of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]]
** [[Demographics of Azad Kashmir]]
** [[Demographics of Gilgit-Baltistan]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|40em|refs=
<ref name="CIAWF22">{{cite web |title=Pakistan |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/pakistan/ |website=Pakistan – The World Factbook |publisher=CIA |access-date=8 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220506105352/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/pakistan/ |archive-date=6 May 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name="keyfindings2023">{{cite web |title=Key Findings Report |publisher=[[Pakistan Bureau Statistics]]|url=https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files/population/2023/key_findings_report.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241207104912/https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files/population/2023/key_findings_report.pdf |archive-date=7 December 2024 }}</ref>

<ref name="1951-1998Data">{{cite book |date=January 2002 |title=1951-98 Population of Administrative Units (As on 1st March, 1998) |publisher=Population Census Organization Statistics Division – Government of Pakistan |url=http://www.irispunjab.gov.pk/StatisticalReport/Population%20Census/1998/1951-98%20Population%20of%20Administrative%20Units%20(As%20on%201st%20March,%201998).pdf |access-date=25 August 2020 |url-status=dead |archive-date=23 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200823211928/http://www.irispunjab.gov.pk/StatisticalReport/Population%20Census/1998/1951-98%20Population%20of%20Administrative%20Units%20(As%20on%201st%20March,%201998).pdf}}</ref>

<ref name="MICS Punjab 2014">{{cite web |title=Punjab Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2014 Final Report |url=https://mics-surveys-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/MICS5/South%20Asia/Pakistan%20%28Punjab%29/2014/Final/Pakistan%20%28Punjab%29%202014%20MICS_English.pdf |website=Pakistan (Punjab) 2014 MICS_English.pdf |publisher=UNICEF MICS |access-date=6 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220606010425/https://mics-surveys-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/MICS5/South%20Asia/Pakistan%20%28Punjab%29/2014/Final/Pakistan%20%28Punjab%29%202014%20MICS_English.pdf |archive-date=6 June 2022 |date=December 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name="MICS Punjab 2017-18">{{cite web |title=Punjab Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2017–18 Survey Findings Report |url=https://mics-surveys-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/MICS6/South%20Asia/Pakistan%20%28Punjab%29/2017-2018/Survey%20findings/MICS%20SFR_Final_English.pdf |website=MICS SFR_Final_English.pdf |publisher=UNICEF MICS |access-date=6 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220406020612/https://mics-surveys-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/MICS6/South%20Asia/Pakistan%20(Punjab)/2017-2018/Survey%20findings/MICS%20SFR_Final_English.pdf |archive-date=6 April 2022 |date=November 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name="MICS Sindh 2018-19">{{cite web |title=Sindh Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2018–19 Survey Findings Report |url=https://mics-surveys-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/MICS6/South%20Asia/Pakistan%20%28Sindh%29/2018-2019/Survey%20findings/Pakistan%202018-19%20MICS%20%28Sindh%29_English.pdf |website=MergedFile |publisher=UNICEF MICS |access-date=6 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220606011050/https://mics-surveys-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/MICS6/South%20Asia/Pakistan%20%28Sindh%29/2018-2019/Survey%20findings/Pakistan%202018-19%20MICS%20%28Sindh%29_English.pdf |archive-date=6 June 2022 |date=February 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name="MICS KPK 2019">{{cite web |title=Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2019 Survey Findings Report |url=https://mics-surveys-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/MICS6/South%20Asia/Pakistan%20%28Khyber%20Pakhtunkhwa%29/2019/Survey%20findings/Pakistan%202019%20MICS%20%28Khyber%20Pakhtunkhwa%29%20Survey%20Findings%20Report_English.pdf |website=Pakistan 2019 MICS (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) Survey Findings Report_English.pdf |publisher=UNICEF MICS |access-date=6 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220119121030/https://mics-surveys-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/MICS6/South%20Asia/Pakistan%20(Khyber%20Pakhtunkhwa)/2019/Survey%20findings/Pakistan%202019%20MICS%20(Khyber%20Pakhtunkhwa)%20Survey%20Findings%20Report_English.pdf |archive-date=19 January 2022 |date=December 2021 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

<ref name="AJK">{{cite web |title=Statistical Yearbook 2020 |url=https://www.pndajk.gov.pk/uploadfiles/downloads/Statistical%20Year%20Book%202020.pdf |publisher=AJ&K Bureau of Statistics Planning & Development Department |access-date=17 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211017165928/https://www.pndajk.gov.pk/uploadfiles/downloads/Statistical%20Year%20Book%202020.pdf |archive-date=17 October 2021 |date=5 January 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name="GB">{{cite web |title=Gilgit-Baltistan at a Glance 2020 |url=https://portal.pnd.gog.pk/Content/Files/Reports/Gilgit%20Baltistan%20at%20a%20Glance%20New%20Design%202020%20Final_210554160.pdf  |publisher=Government of Gilgit-Baltistan Planning & Development Department Statistical & Research Cell (SRC) |access-date=17 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211017170116/https://portal.pnd.gog.pk/Content/Files/Reports/Gilgit%20Baltistan%20at%20a%20Glance%20New%20Design%202020%20Final_210554160.pdf |archive-date=17 October 2021 |date=20 January 2021 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
}}

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*{{Cite journal| first=Robert| last=Parkin| journal=Indo-Iranian Journal |pages=37–43 |title=Some comments on Brahui kinship terminology| volume=32| issue=1| date=January 1989 |doi=10.1007/BF00182435 | doi-broken-date=2 November 2024|jstor=24654607 |s2cid=161638780}}
*{{Cite journal| last = Rahman| first = Tariq| author-link = Tariq Rahman| title = The Siraiki Movement in Pakistan| journal = Language Problems & Language Planning| date = 1995| volume = 19| issue = 1| doi = 10.1075/lplp.19.1.01rah| pages = 1–25}}
*{{Cite book| last = Rahman| first = Tariq| author-link = Tariq Rahman| date = 1996|   title = Language and politics in Pakistan| publisher = Oxford University Press| isbn = 978-0-19-577692-8}}
*{{Cite book| last1 = Rensch| first1 = Calvin R.| editor-last1 = O'Leary| editor-first1 = Clare F.| editor-last2 = Rensch| editor-first2 = Calvin R.| editor-last3 = Hallberg| editor-first3 = Calinda E.| date = 1992| title = Hindko and Gujari| chapter = The Language Environment of Hindko-Speaking People| isbn = 969-8023-13-5| publisher = National Institute of Pakistan Studies, Quaid-i-Azam University and Summer Institute of Linguistics| location = Islamabad| series = Sociolinguistic Survey of Northern Pakistan| chapter-url = http://www.sil.org/resources/archives/38573}}
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*{{Cite journal| last = Shackle| first = Christopher| author-link = Christopher Shackle| title = Problems of classification in Pakistan Punjab| journal = Transactions of the Philological Society| date = 1979| doi = 10.1111/j.1467-968X.1979.tb00857.x| issn = 0079-1636| volume = 77| issue = 1| pages = 191–210}}
*{{Cite journal| last = Shackle| first = Christopher| author-link = Christopher Shackle| date = 1980| doi = 10.1017/S0041977X00137401| issn = 0041-977X| volume = 43| issue = 3| pages = 482–510| title = Hindko in Kohat and Peshawar| journal = Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies| s2cid = 129436200}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20171015113737/http://www.pbscensus.gov.pk/ Pakistan Bureau of Statistics]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050720001200/http://www.infopak.gov.pk/ infopak.gov.pk] – Ministry of Information and Broadcasting
* [http://www.prb.org/ Population Reference Bureau]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060217220529/http://www.statpak.gov.pk/depts/pco/statistics/other_tables/pop_by_mother_tongue.pdf statpak.gov.pk] – Population by mother tongue
* [https://www.census.gov/ipc/www/idb/summaries.html US Census: International Data Base (IDB)]

{{Ethnic groups in Pakistan}}
{{Pakistan topics}}
{{Asia topic|Demographics of}}
{{Asia topic|Ethnic groups in}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Demographics Of Pakistan}}
[[Category:Demographics of Pakistan| ]]