Pakistan’s 2023 digital census counted 241,499,431 people in the four provinces and Islamabad. Worldometer, using United Nations data, estimates 259,299,791 for mid-2026. The census is a head count; the 2026 figure is a projection.
What Is the Current Population of Pakistan?
Four figures for the population of Pakistan are in public circulation at the same time, and each one is correct for what it measures. The table below sets them side by side with the body that publishes them.
| Source | Figure | Date | What it measures |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, 7th Population and Housing Census | 241,499,431 | Census date 1 March 2023, results approved August 2023 | Enumerated count of the four provinces plus Islamabad Capital Territory |
| Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, same census | 247,541,947 | 2023 | The same count with Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan added |
| Pakistan Economic Survey 2025-26 | 252.09 million | Published 11 June 2026 | Government projection carried forward from the census |
| Worldometer, from United Nations World Population Prospects 2024 Revision | 259,299,791 | Mid-2026 | International projection |
Why the Census and the 2026 Estimate Differ
A census counts people. A projection calculates what the count would be today if the recorded birth rate, death rate and migration rate had continued unchanged since census night. The 2023 census is therefore fixed at 241,499,431 and will never change, while every 2026 figure moves as the modelling body revises its assumptions.
The gap between the government’s own 252.09 million and the United Nations figure of 259,299,791 comes from that modelling. The Pakistan Economic Survey 2025-26 applies an annual growth rate of 2.07 percent to the census base. The United Nations World Population Prospects 2024 Revision applies a higher fertility assumption and starts from its own reconstructed series rather than from the census total, which puts its estimate about 7 million higher.
Why the National Total Has Two Versions
The figure of 241,499,431 covers the four provinces of Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, plus the Islamabad Capital Territory. It excludes Azad Jammu and Kashmir, which the 2023 census recorded at 4,333,467, and Gilgit-Baltistan, recorded at 1,709,049. Adding both territories gives 247,541,947.
The reason is constitutional rather than statistical. Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan are administered by Pakistan but are not provinces, so National Assembly seat allocation and the National Finance Commission award both work off the 241,499,431 base. News reports quote whichever total suits the sentence, which is why the same census appears to give two answers. Both come from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics; the qualifier is what matters.
Pakistan Census History From 1951 to 2023
Pakistan has held seven national censuses since independence. The table lists each one with the population counted for the territory that is present-day Pakistan and the average annual growth rate recorded since the previous census.
| Census year | Population | Average annual growth rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | 33,740,167 | Not applicable | West Pakistan only. East Bengal was counted separately in the same exercise, giving a two-wing total near 75 million. |
| 1961 | 42,880,378 | 2.43 percent | West Pakistan only. |
| 1972 | 65,309,340 | 3.90 percent | Postponed from 1971 by the war. First census after East Pakistan became Bangladesh, so figures from here on cover one country. |
| 1981 | 84,253,644 | 2.87 percent | Growth slowed from the 1972 peak. |
| 1998 | 132,352,279 | 2.69 percent | Held after a 17-year gap. |
| 2017 | 207,684,626 | 2.40 percent | Held after a 19-year gap. Covers the four provinces, Islamabad and the then Federally Administered Tribal Areas. |
| 2023 | 241,499,431 | 2.55 percent | First digital census in Pakistan. The growth rate rose instead of falling. |
The 1951 and 1961 rows are the ones most often misquoted. Both censuses counted a country that included East Bengal, and the widely repeated 1951 total of about 75 million is the two-wing figure. The 33,740,167 in the table is the population of the territory that Pakistan still governs, which is the only figure comparable with the rows below it.
Population of Pakistan by Province
Punjab holds more than half of the national population on its own. The 2023 census figures for each administrative unit are listed below, with each unit’s share of the 241,499,431 national base.
| Province or territory | Population 2023 | Share of national |
|---|---|---|
| Punjab | 127,688,922 | 52.9 percent |
| Sindh | 55,696,147 | 23.1 percent |
| Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | 40,856,097 | 16.9 percent |
| Balochistan | 14,894,402 | 6.2 percent |
| Islamabad Capital Territory | 2,363,863 | 1.0 percent |
| Total, four provinces plus Islamabad | 241,499,431 | 100 percent |
| Azad Jammu and Kashmir | 4,333,467 | Outside the national base |
| Gilgit-Baltistan | 1,709,049 | Outside the national base |
Balochistan is the largest province by area and the smallest by population, at 6.2 percent of the national total across roughly 44 percent of the land. Detail on the areas, districts and traditions of each unit sits in this site’s guide to the provinces of Pakistan and their cultures.
What Is the Population Growth Rate of Pakistan?
The 2023 census recorded an average annual growth rate of 2.55 percent between 2017 and 2023, up from 2.40 percent over the 1998 to 2017 period. Pakistan is one of the few large countries where the intercensal growth rate rose rather than fell.
Fertility is the reason. The Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey 2017-18, the most recent national survey of its kind, put the total fertility rate at 3.6 children per woman, against a replacement level of about 2.1. The United Nations World Population Prospects 2024 Revision estimates roughly 3.5 for 2025, so the two sources agree on the order of magnitude.
The Pakistan Economic Survey 2025-26, published on 11 June 2026, states a lower current growth rate of 2.07 percent per year. The census rate and the Survey rate are not comparable: the census rate is a backward-looking average over six years between two counts, while the Survey rate is the forward projection assumption for the current year. At 2.55 percent a year, a population doubles in about 27 years; at 2.07 percent, in about 34 years.
Urban and Rural Population of Pakistan
The 2023 census recorded 38.82 percent of the population as urban and 61.18 percent as rural. In absolute terms that is roughly 93.75 million urban residents out of 241,499,431. The urban share was 36.4 percent in the 2017 census, so urbanisation advanced by about 2.4 percentage points in six years.
Sindh has been the most urbanised province since 2017, when more than half of its residents were recorded as living in urban areas, a result driven almost entirely by Karachi. Balochistan is the least urbanised. Islamabad Capital Territory is not comparable to a province because its rural share reflects the villages inside the territory rather than a hinterland.
Pakistan classifies a settlement as urban by administrative status rather than by size or density, so large settlements never notified as municipalities are still counted as rural. The official 38.82 percent is therefore a floor rather than a ceiling.
Where Does Pakistan Rank in the World by Population?
Pakistan is the fifth most populous country in the world, behind India, China, the United States and Indonesia, and ahead of Nigeria. Worldometer puts Pakistan at about 3.1 percent of the world total for 2026.
The rank has climbed steadily as Pakistan overtook slower-growing countries, and the United Nations medium variant keeps Pakistan inside the top five for the rest of this century, because the countries ranked above it have flat or declining populations.
Pakistan Population Projections
Projections beyond the census are model output, not measurement, and every one of them carries an assumption about how fast fertility falls. The figures below are the medium variant of the United Nations World Population Prospects 2024 Revision.
| Year | Projected population | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 259,299,791 | Worldometer, from UN World Population Prospects 2024 Revision |
| 2030 | 274,029,836 | UN World Population Prospects 2024 Revision, medium variant |
| 2040 | 322,595,767 | UN World Population Prospects 2024 Revision, medium variant |
| 2050 | 367,808,468 | UN World Population Prospects 2024 Revision, medium variant |
Under the medium variant Pakistan adds roughly 126 million people between 2023 and 2050, and growth continues past mid-century. The high and low variants differ by tens of millions by 2050, so any single projected figure is the centre of a range. Pakistan’s next census is constitutionally due before 2033 and will replace these projections with a count.
Largest Cities of Pakistan
Karachi and Lahore are the only two cities above 10 million. The table lists the ten largest by the 2023 census figure for the city proper.
| Rank | City | Province or territory | Population 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Karachi | Sindh | 18,868,021 |
| 2 | Lahore | Punjab | 13,004,135 |
| 3 | Faisalabad | Punjab | 3,691,999 |
| 4 | Rawalpindi | Punjab | 3,357,612 |
| 5 | Gujranwala | Punjab | 2,511,118 |
| 6 | Multan | Punjab | 2,215,381 |
| 7 | Hyderabad | Sindh | 1,921,275 |
| 8 | Peshawar | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | 1,905,975 |
| 9 | Quetta | Balochistan | 1,565,546 |
| 10 | Islamabad | Islamabad Capital Territory | 1,108,872 |
City figures for Pakistan disagree between sources because they measure different boundaries. Karachi city proper is 18,868,021 in the 2023 census, while Karachi Division, which is the six-district administrative unit, is 20,382,881. Faisalabad city is 3,691,999 while Faisalabad Division is 16,228,526. A figure without its boundary label is not usable.
Pakistan population density
Pakistan’s population density is about 303 people per square kilometre. That is 241,499,431 people from the 2023 census divided by the official land area of 796,095 square kilometres, which covers the four provinces and Islamabad and excludes Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.
Densities published elsewhere run higher or lower because they mix bases; applying the 2026 projection of 259,299,791 to the same area gives about 326 people per square kilometre. The national average also hides the real pattern, because Punjab carries more than half the population on roughly a quarter of the land while Balochistan carries 6.2 percent on 44 percent of it.
Literacy of population
Literacy stands at 63 percent of the population aged 10 and above, split 73 percent for males and 54 percent for females, according to the Pakistan Economic Survey 2025-26 published on 11 June 2026. Out-of-school children were 28 percent of the 5 to 16 age group in 2025, down from 38 percent in 2023.
A rising population and a flat literacy rate compound each other, because the same percentage applied to a larger cohort produces more illiterate people each year, not fewer. The structural causes, stage by stage, are set out in this site’s account of Pakistan’s education system and its problems.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Population of Pakistan
What is the population of Pakistan in 2026?
Worldometer, using United Nations projections, puts Pakistan at 259,299,791 for mid-2026. The Pakistan Economic Survey 2025-26 gives a lower official estimate of 252.09 million. Both are projections rather than counts.
When was the last census in Pakistan?
The seventh census, and Pakistan’s first digital one, used 1 March 2023 as its reference date. The Council of Common Interests approved the results in August 2023. The next census is constitutionally due before 2033.
Which is the most populous province of Pakistan?
Punjab, with 127,688,922 people in the 2023 census, or 52.9 percent of the national total. Sindh is second at 55,696,147, and Balochistan is the smallest by population at 14,894,402.
Which is the largest city in Pakistan?
Karachi. The 2023 census recorded 18,868,021 people in Karachi city proper and 20,382,881 in Karachi Division. Lahore is second at 13,004,135, and Faisalabad third at 3,691,999.
Where does Pakistan rank in world population?
Fifth, behind India, China, the United States and Indonesia. Pakistan holds about 3.1 percent of the world’s people according to Worldometer’s 2026 figures, and the United Nations medium variant keeps it in the top five.
Last Thoughts on the Population of Pakistan
The population of Pakistan is measured by one number and estimated by several. The 2023 digital census fixed the count at 241,499,431 for the four provinces and Islamabad, or 247,541,947 with Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan included, and that pair of figures anchors everything else on this page. Projections for 2026 run from the government’s 252.09 million to the United Nations figure of 259,299,791, and they diverge because they assume different fertility, not because either is careless.
What the census actually revealed is the growth rate. At 2.55 percent a year, faster than the previous intercensal period, Pakistan is adding the population of a mid-sized country every three years while literacy sits at 63 percent. The census language data feeds directly into the shares reported for the languages of Pakistan and their speaker percentages, which come from the same 241,499,431 denominator used throughout this page.
