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]
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 SindhMurad 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.
Design
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.
Enumeration
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]
Results
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] For certain sensitive areas and some collective residences, totalling to 1,041,342 people, only population, gender and urban/rural population could be determined, leaving the population counted for other tables to be 240,458,089.[53]
Compared to the previous census, the number of Urdu speaking people increased the most to nearly 9.3%. Balochi language increased slightly from 3% to 3.4%. However, Punjabi speaking population reduced to 37%. Sindhi, Pashto and Saraiki speaking population remained relatively stable.[56] The question asking for respondents mother tongue also saw its number of categories increase including Shina, Balti, Kalasha, Kohistani and Mewati.[37]Pakistan Bureau of Statistics released language results of Pakistan Census 2023 on 19 July 2024, excluding data from Gilgit Baltistan and Azad Kashmir, therefore Shina and Balti population might not be exact.[57]
Timeline
23 February 2022: The National Census Coordination Centre (NCCC) was inaugurated in preparation for the census. It will monitor live census data and information.[2][3]
20 July 2022: Pilot phase of census begins as information technology deployed across 429 census blocks.[32][33][34]
3 August 2022: Pilot phase of census ends successfully.[35][36]
20 February 2023: Self enumeration portal is inaugurated for citizens to fill in data by themselves online.[58]
1 March 2023 to 30 May 2023: more than 121,000 trained field staff are physically visiting people all over Pakistan & collecting data on their allocated tablets.
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 241,495,112 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.
The administrative units of Pakistan comprise four provinces, one federal territory, and two disputed territories: the provinces of Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan; the Islamabad Capital Territory; and the administrative territories of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit–Baltistan. As part of the Kashmir conflict with neighbouring India, Pakistan has also claimed sovereignty over the Indian-controlled territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh since the First Kashmir War of 1947–1948. It also has a territorial dispute with India over Junagadh, but has never exercised administrative authority over either regions. All of Pakistan's provinces and territories are subdivided into divisions, which are further subdivided into districts, and then tehsils, which are again further subdivided into union councils.
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.
The four provinces, capital territory, and two autonomous territories of Pakistan are subdivided into 38 administrative "divisions", which are further subdivided into districts, tehsils, and finally union councils. These divisions were abolished in 2000, but restored in 2008.
The official religion of Pakistan is Islam, as enshrined by Article 2 of the Constitution, and is practised by an overwhelming majority of 96.35% of the country's population. The remaining 3.65% practice Hinduism, Christianity, Ahmadiyya(considered non-Muslims by the Pakistani constitution), 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.
Gilgit-Baltistan, formerly known as the Northern Areas, is a region administered by Pakistan as an administrative territory and consists of the northern portion of the larger Kashmir region, which has been the subject of a dispute between India and Pakistan since 1947 and between India and China since 1959. It borders Azad Kashmir to the south, the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to the west, the Wakhan Corridor of Afghanistan to the north, the Xinjiang region of China to the east and northeast, and the Indian-administered union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh to the southeast.
Pakistanis are the citizens and nationals of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population as of 2023. As much as 90% of the population follows Sunni Islam. A majority of around 97% of Pakistanis are Muslims. The majority of Pakistanis natively speak languages belonging to the Indo-Iranic family.
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 Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC) is an identity card with a 13-digit number available to all adult citizens of Pakistan and their diaspora counterparts, obtained voluntarily. It includes biometric data such as 10 fingerprints, 2 iris prints, and a facial photo. The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), was established in 1998 as an attached department under the Ministry of Interior, Government of Pakistan. Since March 2000, NADRA has operated as an independent corporate body with the requisite autonomy to collect and maintain data independently.
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.
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.
Upper Chitral District (Khowar: توری ݯھیترارو ضلع)(Pashto: پورتنۍ چترال ولسوالۍ) is a district in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Chitral River flows across the length of the district. Upper Chitral District along with Lower Chitral District were part of the erstwhile Chitral District which was the largest district in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, covering an area of 14,850 km2. Previously, it served as the Chitral princely state that encompassed the region until its incorporation into the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan in 14 August 1947. The erstwhile Chitral District was bifurcated into Upper Chitral District and Lower Chitral District in November, 2018.
Keamari District, is an administrative district of Karachi Division in Sindh, Pakistan.
↑ "STATISTICAL YEAROOK 2020"(PDF). Statistical Yearbook 2020.pdf. AJ&K BUREAU OF STATISTICS PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT. 5 January 2021. Archived(PDF) from the original on 17 October 2021. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
↑ "GILGIT-BALTISTAN at a GLANCE 2020"(PDF). Gilgit Baltistan at a Glance New Design.cdr. Government of Gilgit-Baltistan Planning & Development Department Statistical & Research Cell (SRC). 20 January 2021. Archived(PDF) from the original on 17 October 2021. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
↑ "MAJOR AGGLOMERATIONS OF THE WORLD". Major Agglomerations of the World - Population Statistics and Maps. Citypopulation.de. 2 February 2017. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 21 March 2022. Population of Karachi Estimated on January 01, 2017 to be 25,100,000
↑ "The World's Cities in 2016"(PDF). The World's Cities in 2016. United Nations. 2 September 2016. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2 September 2016. Retrieved 21 March 2022. Population of Karachi Estimated in 2016 to be 17,121,000
↑ "Population census hits snag". Population census hits snag. The Express Tribune. 8 April 2022. Archived from the original on 28 August 2022. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
1 2 "First digital pilot census completed". First digital pilot census completed. The News International Pakistan. 4 August 2022. Archived from the original on 5 August 2022. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
↑ "Sikhs feel neglected in census". Sikhs feel neglected in census - Pakistan - DAWN.COM. Dawn. 21 March 2017. Archived from the original on 31 March 2017. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
↑ Rana, Shahbaz (19 July 2024). "Pakistan 27th in global population growth". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 23 July 2024. 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%.
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