Demographics of Karachi

Last updated June 28, 2024

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.^[1] 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.^[2] in the following decade, the rate of growth of Karachi was over 80 percent.^[3] Today, the city has grown 60 times its size in 1947 when it became the country's first capital.^[4] 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.^[5]

Migration

Whereas most megacities in the developing world have grown out of rural-urban migration from the countryside not too distant from them, Karachi's demographics are the largely contributed by long-distance immigration.^[4] Before the independence of Pakistan, Karachi already had a diverse mix of religions and ethnic groups. After the independence, most of the Urdu speaking Muslim refugees of the partition of India settled in Karachi. Likewise, a large number of Hindus left the city in 1947 due to Hindu-Muslim riots and settled in India. Predominantly Urdu speaking Muslim refugees known as Muhajirs formed the dominant ethnic group in Karachi. Muhajirs originated from different parts of India and brought with them their local cultures and cuisines, thus further adding to the already diverse mix of people that earlier inhabited Karachi.^{[ citation needed ]} Currently, these older groups of people and continuing migration from different parts of Pakistan have contributed to a rich and diverse mix of people that live in Karachi. This has further been diversified with migration from other non-traditional countries such as by Arabs, people from different Middle Eastern countries, as well as Afghans and more recently Central Asians and Uighurs. This has given the city a very metropolitan character, and has earned it the title as the melting pot of Pakistan.^[6]

Demographic history of Karachi

Year	Urban population

1856	56,875
1872	56,753
1881	73,560
1891	105,199
1901	136,297
1911	186,771
1921	244,162
1931	300,799
1941	435,887
1951	1,068,459
1961	1,912,598
1972	3,426,310
1981	5,208,132
1998	9,269,265
2017	14,910,352
* Karachi City Government estimate, retrieved 13 February 2008 for data 1856 - 1998. and Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, retrieved 21 November 2020 for data 2017

Karachi's inhabitants, locally known as Karachiites, are composed of ethno-linguistic groups from all parts of Pakistan, as well as migrants from South Asia, making the city's population a diverse melting pot. At the end of the 19th century, the population of the city was about 105,000, with a gradual increase over the next few decades, reaching more than 400,000 on the eve of independence. Estimates of the population range from 15 to 18 million,^[7]^[8] of which an estimated 90% are migrants from different backgrounds. The city's population is estimated to be growing at about 5% per year (mainly as a result of internal rural-urban migration), including an estimated 45,000 migrant workers coming to the city every month from different parts of Pakistan.^[9]^[10]

The earliest inhabitants of the area that became Karachi were Sindhi tribes such as the Jokhio, Mallaah and Jat in the east and Baloch in the west and. Before the end of British colonial rule and the subsequent independence of Pakistan in 1947, the population of the city was majority Sindhi and Baloch Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs community numbering around 250,000 residents. The city was, and still is home to a large community of Gujarati Muslims who were one of the earliest settlers in the city, and still form the majority in Saddar Town. Important Gujarati Muslim communities in the city include the Memon, Chhipa, Ghanchi, Khoja, Bohra and Tai. Other early settlers included the Marwari Muslims, Parsis originally from Iran, Marathi Muslims and Konkani Muslims from Maharashtra (settled in Kokan Town), Goan Catholics and Anglo-Indians. Most Hindus and Sikhs migrated to India after independence of Pakistan. There are still small communities of Parsis, Goan Catholics and Anglo-Indians in the city.

After the independence of Pakistan large numbers of Indian Muslims, mainly Urdu-speaking people, migrated to Karachi.^[11] There is also a sizeable community of Marathi Muslims and Malayali Muslims in Karachi (the Mappila), originally from Kerala in South India.^[12] The Marathi and Malayali Muslims in Karachi have intermarried with the other Muslims especially with Memon and Urdu-speaking Muslims and now have integrated into the wider Urdu-speaking Muhajir community.^[13] Since last few decades population of the Sindhis are also increasing dramatically.^[14]

The Pashtuns, originally from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Afghanistan, the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and northern Balochistan, are now the city's second largest ethnic group after Muhajirs, these Pashtuns are settled in Karachi from decades.^[15]^[16] With as high as 7 million by some estimates the city of Karachi in Pakistan has the largest concentration of urban Pakhtun population in the world, including 50,000 registered Afghan refugees in the city,^[17]^[18] meaning there are more Pashtuns in Karachi than in any other city in the world.^[19] However, according to the census 2017 of the Pakistan, the total population of the Pashtuns in Sindh is approximately 2.5 million (5% of the total sindh) and it will make around 10-13 percent of the Pashtoons living in Karachi's population.^[20]

Districts Population Density per Sq.km.

According to 2017 Census, Karachi Central is the most densely populated district not only among six districts of Karachi, but also allover Pakistan with 43,063.51 persons living per square kilometres.

Rank	District	Population (2017 census)^[21]	Area (Sq.Km.)	Density
1	Central	2,971,382	69	43,063.51
2	Korangi	2,577,556	108	23,866.26
3	East	2,875,315	139	20,685.72
4	South	1,769,230	122	14,501.89
5	West	3,907,065	929	4,205.67
6	Malir	1,924,364	2,160	890.90
All	100%	16,024,894	3,527	4,543.49

Ethnic groups

The ethnic groups in Karachi include members from all ethnic groups in Pakistan, making the city's population a diverse melting pot. At the end of the 19th century, the population of the city was about 105,000, with a gradual increase over the next few decades, reaching more than 400,000 on the eve of independence. Estimates of the population are approximately 23,000,000, of which an estimated 90% are migrants from different backgrounds. The city's population is estimated to be growing at about 5% per year (mainly as a result of internal rural-urban migration), including an estimated 45,000 migrant workers coming to the city every month from different parts of Pakistan.^[9] According to the community leaders and social scientists there are over 1.6 million Bengalis and up to 400,000 Rohingyas living in Karachi.^[22]

Religion

According to a 1998 census of Pakistan, the religious breakdown of the city is as follows:^[23] Muslim (96.45%), Christian (2.42%), Hindu (0.86%), and other (0.27%). Other religious groups include Sikhs, Buddhists, Parsis, Baháʼís, Ahmedis and Jews. Of the Muslims, approximately 73% are Sunnis and 27% are Shi'ites.

Religious groups in Karachi City
	% (1941)^[24]	% (1951)^[25]	% (1998)^[23]
Muslim	42.3%	96.1%	96.5%
Hindu	51.1%	1.7%	0.9%
Christian	2.3%	1.6%	2.4%
Sikh	1.3%	0.9%	1.5%
Jain	0.9%	0.7%	0.5%
Parsi	0.9%	0.5%	0.8%
Other	1.9%	0.1%	0.3%
Total	100%	100%	100%

Religious groups in Karachi City (1872−2017)^{[lower-alpha 1]}
Religious group	1872^[27]		1881^[28]		1891^[29]		1901^[30]^[31]		1911^[32]^[33]		1921^[34]^[35]		1931^[36]^[37]		1941^[26]		2017^[38]
Religious group	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%
Islam	33,018	55.81%	38,946	52.94%	52,957	50.34%	60,003	51.43%	74,075	48.76%	100,436	46.31%	122,847	46.61%	162,447	42.01%	14,382,744	96.63%
Hinduism	23,157	39.14%	24,617	33.47%	44,503	42.3%	48,169	41.29%	66,038	43.47%	100,683	46.42%	120,595	45.76%	192,831	49.87%	156,452	1.05%
Christianity	2,223	3.76%	4,161	5.66%	5,986	5.69%	6,098	5.23%	7,936	5.22%	9,649	4.45%	12,765	4.84%	11,088	2.87%	329,702	2.22%
Zoroastrianism	748	1.26%	937	1.27%	1,375	1.31%	1,823	1.56%	2,165	1.43%	2,702	1.25%	3,334	1.26%	—	—	—	—
Judaism	7	0.01%	—	—	128	0.12%	349	0.3%	535	0.35%	645	0.3%	943	0.36%	—	—	—	—
Jainism	4	0.01%	9	0.01%	99	0.09%	125	0.11%	647	0.43%	1,118	0.52%	629	0.24%	3,214	0.83%	—	—
Tribal	0	0%	—	—	32	0.03%	0	0%	0	0%	4	0%	135	0.05%	—	—	—	—
Sikhism	0	0%	—	—	0	0%	0	0%	—	—	1,425	0.66%	2,254	0.86%	5,835	1.51%	—	—
Buddhism	0	0%	—	—	0	0%	0	0%	—	—	41	0.02%	53	0.02%	—	—	—	—
Ahmadiyya	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	8,751	0.06%
Others	0	0%	4,890	6.65%	119	0.11%	96	0.08%	507	0.33%	180	0.08%	10	0%	11,240	2.91%	6,753	0.05%
Total population	59,157	100%	73,560	100%	105,199	100%	116,663	100%	151,903	100%	216,883	100%	263,565	100%	386,655	100%	14,884,402	100%

Trivia

Stunned by Karachi's diverse demographics, the American political scientist and South Asia expert Stephen P. Cohen once stated that if Karachi's ethnic groups "got along well, it would be an amazingly complex city, a lot like New York."^[6]

Notes

↑ 1872-1941: Data for the entirety of the town of Karachi, which included Karachi Municipality and Karachi Cantonment.^[26]

2017: Data for the entirety of the town of Karachi, which included the urban populations of Karachi Central District, Karachi East District, Karachi South District, Karachi West District, Malir District, and Korangi District.

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The ethnic groups in Karachi includes all the ethnic groups in Pakistan. Karachi's inhabitants, locally known as Karachiites, are composed of ethno-linguistic groups from all parts of Pakistan, as well as migrants from South Asia, making the city's population a diverse melting pot. At the end of the 19th century, the population of the city was about 105,000, with a gradual increase over the next few decades, reaching more than 400,000 on the eve of independence. Estimates of the population range from 15 to 18 million, of which an estimated 30% are migrants from different backgrounds. The city's population is estimated to be growing at about 5% per year, including an estimated 45,000 migrant workers coming to the city every month from different parts of Pakistan.

The cultural history of Karachi goes back at least five thousand years to the emergence of the Indus Valley Civilization in the third millennium BC. The early culture is mostly Neolithic with widespread usage of small cart implements and semi-precious stones. The many megalithic Arab graves around Karachi gave evidence towards megalithic movements of the Arabian Peninsula.

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.

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Religions in Karachi include Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism and others. According to a 1998 census of Pakistan, the religious breakdown of the city is as follows: Muslim (96.45%), Christian (2.42%), Hindu (0.86%), Ahmadis (0.17%) and other (0.10%). Other religious groups include Parsis, Sikhs, Baháʼí, Jews and Buddhists. Of the Muslims, approximately 66% are Sunnis and 34% are Shia. The Sunnis follow Hanafi fiqh while Shi'ites are predominantly Ithnā‘Ashariyyah fiqh, with significant minority groups who follow Ismaili Fiqh, which is composed of Nizari, Mustaali, Dawoodi Bohra and Sulaymani fiqhs.

Islam is a minority religion in Punjab, India followed by 535,489 people constituting about 1.93 percent of the state population out of 27.7 million population as of 2011 census report.

Hinduism is the second-largest religion in Sindh, numbering 4.17 million people and comprising 8.73 percent of the province's population in the 2017 Pakistani census. Sindh has the largest population and the highest percentage of Hindus in Pakistan. Sindh has the Shri Ramapir Temple, whose annual festival is the country's second-largest Hindu festival.

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