2023 Census of Pakistan | ||
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General information | ||
Country | Pakistan | |
Topics | Census topics
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Authority | Pakistan Bureau of Statistics | |
Website | pbs | |
Results | ||
Total population | 241,499,431 ( 13.3%) | |
Most populous | Punjab (127,681,655) |
The 2023 Census of Pakistan was the detailed enumeration of the Pakistani population and the seventh national census in the country. [1] [2] [3] It was conducted by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. [4] It was also the first ever digital census to be held in Pakistan, including the first in South Asian history. [5]
The census was initially held from 1 March 2023 to 1 April 2023. However, enumeration was later extended several times until 30 May 2023, because of incomplete enumeration in large cities such as Karachi, Lahore, and Faisalabad, where people are more mobile and therefore harder to count, and in remote and rural Balochistan. The extension was also used by PBS officials and census takers for quality reviews, to check if all households and people were properly counted in each area. [6] [7] [8] The 2023 census recorded a total population throughout the country of 241,492,917 (excluding Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir). [9] [10]
The Constitution of Pakistan requires that a population census be held every ten years. The results of censuses in Pakistan are used for resource allocation, sampling frames, constituency delimitation, apportionment, and for policy planning in the future. [11]
After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, censuses were held in the years 1951, 1961, 1972 (delayed one year due to war in 1971), and 1981. However, the next censuses following were delayed until 1998 and 2017 due to politicization and instability. The 2017 census was the last census completed in the country, and recorded a total population of 213.2 million [note 1] .
Most international organizations and demographers were projecting Pakistan's largest city, Karachi, to have a population between 17 million and 25 million prior to the census, [15] [16] [17] but when the results of the census came back, they showed Karachi's population standing at 14.9 million. Because of this, the results of the 2017 Census were controversial and were immediately contested by the Government of Sindh [18] [19] and many major Sindhi political parties, namely the Pakistan People's Party, Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, [20] [21] and the Pak Sarzameen Party, [22] all of which refused to accept the final results and requested a recount. They cited studies conducted by intergovernmental organizations such as UNICEF, [19] national identity card statistics, [22] [21] and voter rolls [20] [21] to support their claim, as well as taking note of the issue that no post-enumeration survey was held after the 2017 census. [23] [19] The Chief Minister of Sindh Murad Ali Shah claimed that the population of Sindh stood at 61 million (above the enumerated count of 48 million). [19]
Because of Sindhi opposition to the 2017 Census results, the publication of the final results was held back for years by the Council of Common Interests (CCI), where Sindh repeatedly expressed its objections. [24] [25] [26] Finally, in April 2021, the CCI pushed through and approved the final results of the 2017 census under the condition that Pakistan would hold another census before the ten-year deadline, and the results of that census would be used for the delineation of constituencies in the 2023 general election. [27]
By February 2022, a timetable for the conduction of the census had been prepared based around the enumeration occurring in August 2022, [2] [3] but in early April, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics faced a major roadblock, as a delay occurred in the procurement of equipment for the exercise. This delayed the census date by several months from the original plan, as the pilot census and training could not occur in a timely manner. [28]
While originally, the plan was shifted for the census to occur from 15 October to 15 November, [29] another delay occurred, pushing the census to the last week of December, while the results of the census would be submitted to the Election Commission of Pakistan by March 2023. [4] Then, in early November a further postponement of three months occurred, as fieldwork was set to begin 1 February 2023 and to end 4 March 2023. [30] This delay was largely attributable to the devastating floods that had ravaged the country that year. [31]
The pilot phase of the census successfully began on 20 July 2022 throughout 429 census blocks of 83 tehsils across the entire country. The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) deployed its technology to ensure accuracy, accountability, and transparency and inaugurated the software that would later be used for the census. [32] [33] [34] The pilot census completed on 3 August, and NADRA was directed to prepare a detailed summary to present to the Federal Minister of Planning and Development. [35] [36]
According To OpenData Pakistan Report: Pakistan has 6,445 cities, towns, villages, and administrative units divided among 1972 postal zip codes. This the most accurate and complete dataset of the country.
The Planning and Development Minister of Pakistan Asad Umar has stated that the military will take charge of security but will not partake in data collection. [2] [3] Pakistanis will be counted on the basis of where they lived in the last six months, on an "as is, where is basis". [3] The exercise is also going to be Pakistan's first digital census, [3] with Umar stating that "98 percent of the process" will be conducted digitally, [2] and geo-fencing and GIS mapping will be used to monitor the operation. [3]
The 2023 Census of Pakistan will involve two questionnaires: a housing questionnaire and an individual questionnaire. Each question in both forms was deliberated on and improved by a twelve-member Questionnaire committee, headed by Demographer Dr. G.M. Arif. On 15 July 2021, the committee held a meeting where they finalized both questionnaires unanimously after a comprehensive study. [37]
On the individual form, the religion question saw an expansion. The number of religious identifications Pakistanis could go by in the 2017 census was six (Muslim, Christian, Hindu, Ahmadiyya, Scheduled Castes, and Other), [38] but this has increased to eight as of 2023 with the addition of the Sikh and Parsi categories. [37] This change came after significant campaigning by Pakistani Sikhs for recognition as a religion in 2017. [39] The change also had been mandated by a Pakistani chief justice ruling in October 2018 that in the next census, a separate category for Sikhs would be provided under the religion question. [40] [41]
The question asking for respondents' mother tongue also saw its number of categories increase. Whereas in 2017, only ten categories were listed (Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashto, Balochi, Kashmiri, Saraiki, Hindko, Brahui, and Other), the form for the 2023 census has 14 choices. [42] Shina, Balti, Kalasha and Kohistani are recognized in the 2023 form as valid options to select in the language question. [37]
The nationality question also saw an improvement, going from a binary option asking respondents whether they were Pakistani or not, [43] to giving respondents more options. The 2023 form includes five choices Pakistani, Afghan, Bangladeshi, Chinese, or other. [37]
From December 2022 to January 2023, trainers and enumerators prepared for the census. On 6 December 2022, the training of master trainers began with an inauguration ceremony. [44] By 19 December, 2,875 trainers at the divisional level began their training and preparation across the country. [45] Finally, on 7 January, a group of 121,000 field staff at the tehsil level are expected to begin their training.
As of 15 April 2023, out of 156 districts, 100% work had been completed in 122 districts - while over 90% work had been completed in the remaining districts. Census work would continue in cities including Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad, while the date had been extended in 20 more districts including Sindh's Jacobabad, as well as the Baluchistan province. [46]
As of 22 April 2023, over 235 million people had been enumerated - up by more than 10% from the 2017 census, or by about 22.2 million people. Census enumeration was then extended again until 30 April 2023, with a pause between 21 - 25 April, because of the Eid holidays. Most of the remaining enumeration would focus on Karachi, Hyderabad and Quetta. [47] On 28 April, the enumeration was once again extended until 15 May. [48]
As of 6 May 2023, a total of 241,831,019 people have been counted all over Pakistan, or 28.6 million more than during the 2017 Census. [49] As of 12 May 2023, a total of 238,659,411 people had been counted (a number that includes Islamabad Capital Territory, but excludes Gilgit Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir). [50]
On 22 May 2023, the enumeration concluded all over Pakistan although several areas in the mountainous north continued to be enumerated until 30 May 2023 because of heavy snowfall in the areas and security concerns. Additionally, people who were not enumerated were able to call the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics until 30 May and still be counted. [51]
On 5 August 2023, the Council of Common Interests (CCI) "unanimously" approved the results of the 2023 digital census. [9] Pakistan's population has increased to 241.49 million with an annual growth rate of 2.55%, according to the census results. [52] The rural population is 61.18 percent of the total population in Pakistan while the urban population is 38.82 percent. [9]
Administrative Unit | Population (2017) | Population (2023) | Annualized Growth |
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Khyber Pakthunkhwa | 35,501,964 | 40,856,097 | 2.38% |
Punjab | 109,989,655 | 127,688,922 | 2.53% |
Sindh | 47,854,510 | 55,696,147 | 2.57% |
Balochistan | 12,335,129 | 14,894,402 | 3.20% |
ICT | 2,003,368 | 2,363,863 | 2.80% |
Azad Kashmir | 4,045,367 | ||
Gilgit-Baltistan | 1,492,924 | ||
Four provinces and ICT | 207,684,626 | 241,499,431 | 2.55% |
Total Pakistan | 213,222,917 |
Karachi is the capital city of the Pakistani province of Sindh. It is the largest city in Pakistan and the 12th largest in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast and formerly served as the capital of Pakistan. Ranked as a beta-global city, it is Pakistan's premier industrial and financial centre, with an estimated GDP of over $200 billion (PPP) as of 2021. Karachi is a metropolitan city and is considered Pakistan's most cosmopolitan city, and among the country's most linguistically, ethnically-, and religiously-diverse regions, as well as one of the country's most progressive and socially liberal cities.
Pakistan had a population of 241,492,197 according to the final results of the 2023 Census. This figure includes Pakistan's four provinces e.g. Punjab, Sindh, KPK, Balochistan and Islamabad Capital Territory. AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan's census data is yet to be approved by CCI Council of Pakistan. Pakistan is the world's fifth most populous country.
Sindh is a province of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province by population after Punjab. It is bordered by the Pakistani provinces of Balochistan to the west and north-west and Punjab to the north. It shares an International border with the Indian states of Gujarat and Rajasthan to the east; it is also bounded by the Arabian Sea to the south. Sindh's landscape consists mostly of alluvial plains flanking the Indus River, the Thar Desert of Sindh in the eastern portion of the province along the international border with India, and the Kirthar Mountains in the western portion of the province.
Sindhis are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who speak the Sindhi language and are native to the Sindh province of Pakistan. The historical homeland of Sindhis is bordered by the southeastern part of Balochistan, the Bahawalpur region of Punjab and the Kutch region of Gujarat. Having been isolated throughout history, unlike its neighbours, Sindhi culture has preserved its uniqueness.
The districts of Pakistan are the third-level administrative divisions of Pakistan, below provinces and divisions, but forming the first-tier of local government. In total, there are 166 districts in Pakistan, including the Capital Territory, and the districts of Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. These districts are further divided into tehsils and union councils.
Hinduism is the second largest religious affiliation in Pakistan after Islam. Though Hinduism was one of the dominant faiths in the region a few centuries ago, Hindus accounted for just 2.14% of Pakistan's population in the 2017 Pakistani census. The Umerkot district has the highest percentage of Hindu residents in the country at 52.2%, while Tharparkar district has the most Hindus in absolute numbers at 714,698.
The official religion of Pakistan is Islam, as enshrined by Article 2 of the Constitution, and is practised by approximately 96.47% of the country's population. The remaining 3.53% practice Hinduism, Christianity, Ahmadiyya Islam, Sikhism and other religions.
The Census in Pakistan is a legally decennial census and a descriptive count of Pakistan's population on Census Day, and of their dwellings, conducted and supervised by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. The 2017 Census in Pakistan marks the first census to take place in Pakistan since 1998. The most recent census was the 2023 Pakistani census.
Overseas Pakistanis, or the Pakistani diaspora, refers to Pakistanis who live outside of Pakistan. These include citizens that have migrated to another country as well as people born abroad of Pakistani descent. According to the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, approximately 8.8 million Pakistanis live abroad according to December 2017 estimates. According to the Ministry of Emigration and Overseas Employment, data released in 2023 states that more than 10.80 million people have moved abroad since 1990.
Dayaram Jethamal Sindh Government Science College, commonly known as DJ Science College, is a public community college that is affiliated with the Board of Intermediate Education Karachi and the University of Karachi — it is located near Burns Road in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan.
Karachi is the largest and most populous city in Pakistan. The population of Karachi is estimated to be around 16 million (16,093,786) in 2020. The population and demographic distribution in the megacity has undergone numerous changes over the past 150 years. On 14 August 1947, when it became the capital city of Pakistan, its population was about 450,000 inhabitants However, the population rapidly grew with large influx of Muslim refugees after independence in 1947. By 1951, the city population had crossed one million mark. in the following decade, the rate of growth of Karachi was over 80 percent. Today, the city has grown 60 times its size in 1947 when it became the country's first capital. Although, Islamabad remains the nation's capital since the 1960s, the city's population continues to grow at about 5% per annum, largely thanks to its strong economic base.
The Muhajir people are Muslim immigrants of various ethnic groups and regional origins, and their descendants, who migrated from various regions of India after the Partition of India to settle in the newly independent state of Pakistan. The community includes those immigrants' descendants, most of whom are settled in Karachi and other parts of urban Sindh. The Muhajir community also includes stranded Pakistanis in Bangladesh who migrated to Pakistan after 1971 following the secession of East Pakistan in the Bangladesh Liberation War.
Orangi District, , is an administrative, one of 7th district of Karachi Division in Sindh, Pakistan.
Gulshan District is an administrative district of Karachi Division in Sindh, Pakistan.
Nazimabad District, formerly Karachi Central District, is an administrative district of Karachi Division in Sindh, Pakistan.
Karachi District (Urdu: ضلع کراچی) is an administrative district of Karachi Division in Sindh, Pakistan.
Malir District is an administrative district of Karachi Division in Sindh, Pakistan.
Korangi District is one of the seven administrative districts of Karachi last modified in 2013, part of the Karachi Division in Sindh, Pakistan.
The 2017 Census of Pakistan was a detailed enumeration of the Pakistani population which began on 15 March 2017 and ended on 25 May 2017. It was the first census taken in the country in the 21st century, nineteen years after the previous one in 1998, and it was carried out by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
Keamari District, is an administrative district of Karachi Division in Sindh, Pakistan.
Population of Karachi Estimated on January 01, 2017 to be 25,100,000
Population of Karachi Estimated in 2016 to be 17,121,000
Population of Karachi Estimated in 2016 to be 22,825,000