Islamabad, Pakistan’s population has reached 241.5 million, with an average annual growth rate of 2.55% since 2017, as detailed by the results of the National Population & Housing Census 2023 analyzed by Gallup Pakistan.
According to Gallup Pakistan, the country’s population saw an increase of 33.82 million over the six-year period since the last census conducted in 2017. Regionally, Punjab province experienced the most significant growth by adding 17.7 million people. Sindh followed with an increase of 7.8 million, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and the Islamabad Capital Territory saw rises of 5.36 million, 2.55 million, and 0.36 million, respectively.
The data shows that Balochistan had the highest annual growth rate at 3.2%, exceeding the national average. Conversely, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa grew at rates of 2.53% and 2.38%, respectively, both below the national figure. Despite these changes, the proportional representation of each province within the national population remained relatively consistent, with minor increases in Sindh, Balochistan, and ICT’s share, and slight reductions for Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Further variations were observed at the regional level, where the Kalat and Makran Region of Balochistan led with the highest annual growth rate of 4.45%, contrasting sharply with the Interior Sindh region’s low of 1.76%. At the district level, Lahore district emerged with the largest population increase of 1.88 million, and Musakhel district in Balochistan recorded the smallest rise of just 0.02 million. The report also highlighted extreme district-level disparities in growth rates, such as the Lower Kohistan district in KPK, which expanded by an average of 9.01% annually, in stark contrast to Tando Muhammad Khan district in Sindh at 1.18%.
These findings from the National Population & Housing Census provide a comprehensive view of Pakistan’s demographic changes and the varied growth patterns across its regions and districts.