Pakistan People - 2021

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Population

238,181,034 (July 2021 est.)

note: provisional results of Pakistan's 2017 national census estimate the country's total population to be 207,774,000

Nationality

noun: Pakistani(s)

adjective: Pakistani

Ethnic groups

Punjabi 44.7%, Pashtun (Pathan) 15.4%, Sindhi 14.1%, Saraiki 8.4%, Muhajirs 7.6%, Balochi 3.6%, other 6.3%

Languages

Punjabi 48%, Sindhi 12%, Saraiki (a Punjabi variant) 10%, Pashto (alternate name, Pashtu) 8%, Urdu (official) 8%, Balochi 3%, Hindko 2%, Brahui 1%, English (official; lingua franca of Pakistani elite and most government ministries), Burushaski, and other 8%

Religions

Muslim (official) 96.5% (Sunni 85-90%, Shia 10-15%), other (includes Christian and Hindu) 3.5% (2020 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years: 36.01% (male 42,923,925/female 41,149,694)

15-24 years: 19.3% (male 23,119,205/female 21,952,976)

25-54 years: 34.7% (male 41,589,381/female 39,442,046)

55-64 years: 5.55% (male 6,526,656/female 6,423,993)

65 years and over: 4.44% (male 4,802,165/female 5,570,595) (2020 est.)

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 64.4

youth dependency ratio: 57.2

elderly dependency ratio: 7.1

potential support ratio: 14 (2020 est.)

Median age

total: 22 years

male: 21.9 years

female: 22.1 years (2020 est.)

Population growth rate

1.99% (2021 est.)

Birth rate

26.95 births/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Death rate

6.1 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Net migration rate

-0.92 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Population distribution

the Indus River and its tributaries attract most of the settlement, with Punjab province the most densely populated

Urbanization

urban population: 37.4% of total population (2021)

rate of urbanization: 2.1% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

total population growth rate v. urban population growth rate, 2000-2030

Major urban areas - population

16.459 million Karachi, 13.095 million Lahore, 3.542 million Faisalabad, 2.281 million Rawalpindi, 2.290 million Gujranwala, 1.164 million ISLAMABAD (capital) (2021)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-24 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

25-54 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

55-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female

total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

Mother's mean age at first birth

22.8 years (2017/18 est.)

note: median age at first birth among women 25-49

Maternal mortality rate

140 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 55.26 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 59.58 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 50.73 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 69.37 years

male: 67.34 years

female: 71.5 years (2021 est.)

Total fertility rate

3.53 children born/woman (2021 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

34% (2018/19)

Drinking water source

improved: urban: 94.2% of population

rural: 89.9% of population

total: 91.5% of population

unimproved: urban: 5.8% of population

rural: 10.1% of population

total: 8.5% of population (2017 est.)

Current Health Expenditure

3.2% (2018)

Physicians density

0.98 physicians/1,000 population (2018)

Hospital bed density

0.6 beds/1,000 population (2017)

Sanitation facility access

improved: urban: 82.5% of population

rural: 62.9% of population

total: 70.1% of population

unimproved: urban: 17.5% of population

rural: 37.1% of population

total: 29.9% of population (2017 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.2% (2020 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

200,000 (2020 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

8,200 (2020 est.)

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk: high (2020)

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria

animal contact diseases: rabies

note: widespread ongoing transmission of a respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is occurring throughout Pakistan; as of 19 July 2021, Pakistan has reported a total of 991,727 cases of COVID-19 or 448.96 cumulative cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 population with 10.33 cumulative deaths per 100,000 population; as of 19 July 2021, 4.21% of the population has received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

8.6% (2016)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

23.1% (2017/18)

Education expenditures

2.9% of GDP (2017)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 59.1%

male: 71.1%

female: 46.5% (2015)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 8 years

male: 9 years

female: 8 years (2018)

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

total: 7.8%

male: 8.2%

female: 6.8% (2018 est.)

NOTE: The information regarding Pakistan on this page is re-published from the 2021 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Pakistan 2021 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Pakistan 2021 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.