Islamabad, Gallup Pakistan, delving into its Big Data Analysis initiative, has dissected the results from the 7th Population and Housing Census of 2023, which was earlier conducted by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) with the collaboration of a 300,000-strong team.
According to a news release by Gallup Pakistan, The Census 2023 results disclosed the following key insights:
1. Population Growth: The population in Pakistan for 2023 stood at 241.5 million, marking an uptick of 33.82 million since 2017.
2. Population Increases by Region: Punjab topped the regions with a surge of 17.7 million people. This was trailed by Sindh (7.8 million), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (5.36 million), Balochistan (2.55 million), and the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) at 0.36 million.
3. Rate of Population Growth: Balochistan witnessed the most accelerated average annual population growth at 3.2%. This was followed by ICT at 2.8% and Sindh at 2.57%. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab observed growth rates of 2.38% and 2.53% respectively, both falling beneath the country’s average annual growth of 2.55%.
4. Provincial Population Dynamics: Between 2017 to 2023, the demographic proportions for provinces remained relatively constant. Notable were slight population bumps in provinces such as Sindh, Balochistan, and ICT, and a slight dip in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
5. Growth Disparities Across Regions: There was a noticeable variation in population growth rates across regions. The highest annual growth was seen in Balochistan’s Kalat and Makran Region, with a rate of 4.45%. Conversely, Sindh’s Interior Sindh region recorded the lowest at 1.76%.
6. District-specific Population Changes: In terms of districts, Punjab’s Lahore observed the largest population surge, accumulating 1.88 million more residents. In contrast, Balochistan’s Musakhel recorded the least growth, adding only 0.02 million. The highest average annual district population growth was witnessed in KPK’s Lower Kohistan (9.01%), while Sindh’s Tando Muhammad Khan district saw the least growth at 1.18%.