PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa saw a voter turnout of 39.7% in the 2013 Provincial Assembly elections, with 5.56 million votes cast out of 14.01 million registered voters. The turnout was below the national average and reflected both the province's challenging geography and security concerns.

According to Free and Fair Election Network, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province, is Pakistan's third-most populous province. Its electorate is largely Pashtun, with Hindko-speaking and other linguistic minorities also represented. The gender gap in voter registration was notable, with 8.16 million male voters and 5.85 million female voters, making up 58.2% and 41.8% of the electorate, respectively.

The 2013 elections highlighted persistent issues in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, such as a significant gender gap and voting challenges in mountainous and security-threatened areas. The rejection rate of ballots was 3.4%, consistent with historical trends but higher than other provinces like Punjab and Sindh. This could be attributed to factors like lower literacy levels and administrative complexities.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's electorate has grown significantly over the decades, increasing from 3.1 million in 1970 to 21.9 million in 2024, partly due to the merger of former FATA constituencies. Despite the increase in registered voters, the province has consistently recorded lower turnout rates compared to the national average, with its highest being 47.8% in 1970 and lowest at 24% in 1997.