Pakistan Population 2018


The country of Pakistan has a history that dates back to almost 2,500 years B.C. It is considered to be one of the most highly advanced and highly developed civilizations of those ancient times. Finally becoming a sovereign state (and eventually recognized as an official mark on the map of the world) on August 14, 1947, this country is known for having deep roots in the Islamic religion. The country’s capital is Islamabad, and the country features four different provinces: North West Frontier Province, Sindh, Balochistan, and Punjab.

Last collected in the year 2011, the population, at that point, stood at a reported 176,745,364. This number came from a report that was published by the World Bank in 2012. Back in 2001, the estimated population was around 142.5 million; the country, at that point, became the seventh most populated country in the entire world. Over the next ten years, the estimated population grew by about 34 million people. Today, the estimated Pakistan population is approximately 200.81 million, making it the sixth most populous country.

Since the year 1947, when the country became a sovereign state, the population of Pakistan has increased significantly, particularly because more and more people felt comfortable moving their families and businesses to the area. Compared to the other countries in the region, the growth rate of Pakistan is about 2.1 percent higher. It is predicted that in about 35 years, if this growth continues, the population of Pakistan will eventually become double of what it was back in 2001. Judging from how the population has grown significantly over just ten years, this “doubled population” figure does not seem to be far off.

Pakistan Population History

To break this down even more specifically, the population of Pakistan grew, on average, at a rate of 3 percent per year from 1951 until the middle of the 1980’s decade. From the mid 1980’s until the year 2000, the growth of the population slowed down to about 2.6 percent per year; and from 2000 to 2012, to about 2 percent per year. The reason for this slow population increase may be that the country spent a lot of time and effort to slow down the population growth. As a result of these efforts, it is a lot poorer than what is was a long time ago. If it did not make any effort to slow down its population increase, then there would actually be 49.13 million MORE people in the country than the current reports. But on the other end, they would also be a lot richer as a country. In other words, Pakistan, had it not slowed down its population increase, would actually be 52 percent richer than it is right now. Obviously, history cannot be changed, so the efforts have been switched to educating its population instead.

Life Expectancy

In the year 1984, the life expectancy of a Pakistani citizen was only at 56.9 years. As of the year 2002, the life expectancy has jumped up to 63 years of age. The improvement was a direct result of improved medical facilities and better educated health professionals available in the country. The downside, unfortunately, is that doctors and nurses are still in short number for the citizens that need them. There is only 1 nurse for every 3,700 people in the country. If the country is looking to improve health among its citizens and continue to grow their life expectancy rate, then the number of available doctors and nurses needs to continue to grow. If these numbers do not improve, then the people of Pakistan will actually see their life expectancy rate dip back down to the numbers of the mid 1990’s (59 years of age). The life expectancies of males and females are generally the same in Pakistan. As of 2002, men were expected to live around 63.7 years, while women were expected to live 63.4 years. (These numbers are according to the National Institute of Population Studies.)


There have been very drastic and dramatic social changes in Pakistan. These vital changes have ushered in a new era of urbanization and the creation of a couple of megacities within the country. As of 2003, the country became one of the most urbanized cities in all of South Asia, mainly because city dwellers made up about 36 percent of its entire population at that point. About 50 percent of Pakistani citizens live in a place where at least 5,000 other citizens reside as well.

Most Pakistani people come from the ancestral group known as the Indo-Iranians. The largest ethnic group in Pakistan consists of those of Punjabi ethnicity, while Pashtuns and Sindhis are the second and third largest ethnic groups in the country, respectively. There is a special mixed ethnic group between the Punjabi ethnicity and the Sindhi ethnicity, and this group makes up about 10 percent of the entire Pakistani population.

When we consider the foreigners who live in Pakistan, a majority of them come from Afghanistan. Smaller foreign groups include those from Iraq, Bangladesh, Uzbekistan, Somalia, Burma, and Tajikistan. The most popular language in Pakistan is Punjabi, a language in which 88 percent of the population speaks. Second is the language Saraiki, which is spoken by 10 percent of the population; and coming in third is the language Pashto, spoken by 15 percent of the population.

English is widely spoken throughout the government of Pakistan, mainly because it is actually the official language of the government of the country. Many government officials, civil servants, and members of the military speak English in their daily conversations and meetings.

Components of Population Change

One birth every 6 seconds
One death every 22 seconds
One net migrant every 2 minutes
Net gain of one person every 8 seconds

Pakistan Population in 2018Source: By M. Umair [CC BY 2.0 (], via Wikimedia Commons

Pakistan Population Pyramid 2018

0k500k1M2M2M3MPakistan Male Population0k500k1M2M2M3MPakistan Female Population10095908580757065605550454035302520151050

Pakistan Median Age







Pakistan Population by Age

There are 116,983,063 adults in Pakistan.

Census Years

Year Date
199818 March 1998


Pakistan Population Growth

According to a lot of expert predictions and projections based on trends and statistics, among many other factors, by the year 2050, there will be close to 9 BILLION people populating the planet. Out of those 9 billion, they project that about half of the world’s population will reside in the following countries: China, the United States, India, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Uganda, the Congo, Bangladesh, and, of course – you guessed it – Pakistan.

About Pakistan

Official NameIslamic Republic of Pakistan
Languages SpokenEnglish, Urdu
Is LandlockedNo
Currencies UsedPakistan Rupee

Countries Bordering Pakistan


Pakistan Population Density

Pakistan Top 20 Cities by Population

Name Population
Rahim Yar Khan788,915

Pakistan Population Clock

The population of Pakistan (as of 6/15/2018)?200,657,893
Last UN Estimate (July 1, 2018)200,813,818
Births Per Day14,910
Deaths Per Day3,928
Net Migrations Per Day -587
Net Change Per Day 10,395
Population Change Since January 1st1,725,570

Pakistan Population Indicators

Crude Birth Rate 27.38 births/thousand
Crude Death Rate 7.213 deaths/thousand
Crude Net Migration Rate -1.078 people/thousand
Life Expectancy (Both Sexes) 66.67 years
Male Life Expectancy 65.66 years
Female Life Expectancy 67.76 years
Total Fertility Rate 3.377 children/woman
Net Reproduction Rate 1.46 surviving daughters/woman
Sex Ratio At Birth 1.087 males per female
Infant Mortality Rate 63.941 deaths/1,000 live births
Under Five Mortality 79.433 deaths/thousand
Mean Age at Childbearing 28.578 years
Rate of Natural Increase 20.167

Pakistan Population by Year (Historical)

Year Population % Male % Female Density (km²) Population Rank Growth Rate

Pakistan Population by Year (Projections)

Data Sources
  1. Pakistan Bureau of Statistics
  2. Pakistan Bureau of Statistics
  3. World Population Prospects (2017 Revision) - United Nations population estimates and projections.

    Total population: Estimated to be consistent with the 1951, 1961, 1972, 1981 and 1998 censuses, and with estimates of the subsequent trends in fertility, mortality and international migration.

  4. GeoNames Gazetteer