Demographics of Lahore

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1700	400,000 [1]	—
1881	138,878	−65.3%
1891	159,947	+15.2%
1901	186,884	+16.8%
1911	228,687	+22.4%
1921	281,781	+23.2%
1931	400,075	+42.0%
1941	671,659	+67.9%
1951	1,130,000	+68.2%
1961	1,630,000	+44.2%
1972	2,198,890	+34.9%
1981	2,988,486	+35.9%
1998	6,340,114	+112.2%
2017	11,119,985	+75.4%
2023	13,004,135 [2]	+16.9%

According to the 2023 Census of Pakistan, Lahore district has a total population of 13,004,135 people, making it the 2nd most populous city of Pakistan after Karachi with a population density of 7338.7 people per km².

Demographics

Latest estimates as of 2025 rank Lahore as the 20th most populous city in the world. ^[3] The results of the 2023 Census determined the population of Lahore to be 13,004,135, ^[4] with an annualized growth rate of 2.65% since 2017 Census. Average household size in Lahore is 6.4 persons.

Gender-wise, 52.9% of the population is male, 47.1% is female, and 0.026% are transgender. Lahore has a literacy rate of 79.6% (male 81.41% & female 77.59%), one of the highest in Pakistan. In terms of employment, Lahore has an eligible population of 9,746,671 people of which 609,351 or just 6.25% are unemployed. ^[5]

It is a demographically young city, with over 45% of its inhabitants below the age of 20. Age distribution follows a typical population pyramid as shown below:

Age bracket	Total	Male	Female
70+ years	244,270	148,232	96,038
60-69 years	506,452	283,440	223,012
50-59 years	830,017	453,807	376,210
40-49 years	1,334,007	724,989	609,018
30-39 years	1,860,468	969,859	890,609
20-29 years	2,302,674	1,204,342	1,098,332
10-19 years	2,668,783	1,417,933	1,250,850
0-9 years	3,231,990	1,670,348	1,561,642

Religion

Majority of the population living in Lahore follow Islam.

Religious groups in Lahore City (1881−2023) ^[a]

Religious group	1881 [7] [8] : 520		1891 [9] : 68		1901 [10] : 44		1911 [11] : 20		1921 [12] : 23		1931 [13] : 26		1941 [6] : 32		2017 [14]		2023 [5]
	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%
Islam	86,413	57.85%	102,280	57.83%	119,601	58.93%	129,801	56.76%	149,044	52.89%	249,315	58.01%	433,170	64.49%	10,530,816	94.7%	12,363,149	95.07%
Hinduism	53,641	35.91%	62,077	35.1%	70,196	34.59%	77,267	33.79%	107,783	38.25%	139,125 [b]	32.37%	179,422 [b]	26.71%	2,670	0.02%	2,487	0.02%
Sikhism	4,627	3.1%	7,306	4.13%	7,023	3.46%	12,877	5.63%	12,833	4.55%	23,477	5.46%	34,021	5.07%	—	—	715	0.006%
Christianity	529 [c]	0.35%	4,697	2.66%	5,558	2.74%	8,436	3.69%	11,287	4.01%	16,875	3.93%	21,495	3.2%	571,365	5.14%	602,431	4.63%
Jainism	227	0.15%	339	0.19%	420	0.21%	467	0.2%	474	0.17%	791	0.18%	1,094	0.16%	—
Zoroastrianism	—	—	132	0.07%	166	0.08%	198	0.09%	177	0.06%	150	0.03%	—	—	—	—	77	0.0006%
Judaism	—	—	14	0.01%	—	—	13	0.01%	13	0%	—	—	—	—	—	—
Buddhism	—	—	—	—	—	—	128	0.06%	170	0.06%	14	0%	—	—	—	—
Ahmadiyya	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	13,433	0.12%	7,139	0.055%
Others	3,932	2.63%	9	0.01%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	2,457	0.37%	1,701	0.02%	2,339	0.018%
Total population	149,369		176,854		202,964		228,687		281,781		429,747		671,659		11,119,985		13,004,135

Language

Languages by number of speakers in the Lahore district

1. Punjabi (73.6%)
2. Urdu (21.1%)
3. Other (5.3%)

Punjabi is the native language of the province and is the most widely spoken language in Lahore. Punjabi is the primary means of communication in both the city and adjoining rural areas. Punjabi has no official status in Lahore and some Punjabi activists have raised demands for recognition of Punjabi. ^[15] Urdu, as the lingua franca of Pakistan, is widely used as the form of informal communication in the industrial and corporate sector. English has become increasingly popular with educated and younger people due to its official status in government and preferred language status for business. Many Punjabi speakers in Lahore are known as Majha Dialect Of Punjabi.

According to the 2023 census, 73.6% or 9.55 million people of the population are Punjabis; 21.1% or 2.74 million are Urdu speakers. ^[4]

Mother Tongue (2023)
Punjabi	9,549,169
Urdu	2,742,020
Pushto	267,809
Mewati	260,544
Saraiki	62,016
Hindko	33,061
Sindhi	27,074
Balochi	4,266
Kohistani	543
Brahvi	176
Other Language	31,983

Notes

1. 1881-1941: Data for the entirety of the town of Lahore, which included Lahore Municipality and Lahore Cantonment. ^{[6] : 32}
2. 1931-1941: Including Ad-Dharmis
3. Only includes protestant population. ^{[7] : 152}

References

1. Dyson, Tim (2018). A Population History of India: From the First Modern People to the Present Day. Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0-19-882905-8.
2. "Lahore (District, Pakistan)". citypopulation.de.
3. "Largest Cities by Population 2025". worldpopulationreview.com. Retrieved 2025-05-25.
4. "Lahore (District, Pakistan) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 2025-05-25.
5. "7th Population and Housing Census - Detailed Results". www.pbs.gov.pk. Retrieved 2025-05-25.
6. "CENSUS OF INDIA, 1941 VOLUME VI PUNJAB". Archived from the original on 11 October 2022. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
7. "Census of India, 1881 Report on the Census of the Panjáb Taken on the 17th of February 1881, vol. I." 1881. JSTOR   saoa.crl.25057656 . Retrieved 14 January 2024.
8. "Census of India, 1881 Report on the Census of the Panjáb Taken on the 17th of February 1881, vol. II". 1881. JSTOR   saoa.crl.25057657 . Retrieved 14 January 2024.
9. "CENSUS OF INDIA, 1891 GENERAL TABLES BRITISH PROVINCES AND FEUDATORY STATES VOL I". Archived from the original on 17 January 2023. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
10. "CENSUS OF INDIA, 1901 VOLUME I-A INDIA PART II-TABLES". Archived from the original on 17 January 2023. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
11. "CENSUS OF INDIA, 1911 VOLUME XIV PUNJAB PART II TABLES". Archived from the original on 7 October 2022. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
12. "CENSUS OF INDIA, 1921 VOLUME XV PUNJAB AND DELHI PART II TABLES". Archived from the original on 17 January 2023. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
13. "CENSUS OF INDIA, 1931 VOLUME XVII PUNJAB PART II TABLES". Archived from the original on 17 January 2023. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
14. "Final Results (Census-2017)". Archived from the original on 17 October 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
15. Newspaper, From the (2011-01-01). "Punjabi's status as official language sought". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2025-05-25.