| Divisions of Pakistan | |
|---|---|
 Map of divisions of Pakistan | |
| Category | Second-leveladministrative division |
| Location | Islamic Republic of Pakistan |
| Number | 37 (as of 2024) |
| Government |
|
| Subdivisions | |
Theadministrative units of Pakistan contains four provinces, two administrative territories of the Kashmir region and a capital territory. The provinces and administrative territories are subdivided into 37divisions. These divisions are further subdivided intodistricts,tehsils, and finallyunion councils. The divisions were abolished in 2000, but restored in 2008.
These divisions do not include theIslamabad Capital Territory. The formerlyFederally Administered Tribal Areas, which were counted at the same level as provinces, have been subsumed into theKhyber Pakhtunkhwa province and allocated to neighbouring divisions therein in 2018.
Administrative divisions had formed an integral tier of government from colonial times. The Governor's provinces ofBritish India were subdivided into divisions, which were themselves subdivided into districts. At independence in 1947, the new nation of Pakistan comprised two wings – eastern and western, separated byIndia. Three of the provinces of Pakistan were subdivided into ten administrative divisions. The single province in the eastern wing,East Bengal, had four divisions –Chittagong,Dacca,Khulna andRajshahi. The province ofWest Punjab had four divisions –Lahore,Multan,Rawalpindi andSargodha. TheNorth-West Frontier Province (as it was then called) had two divisions –Dera Ismail Khan andPeshawar. Most of the formerSind Province becameHyderabad Division. Most of the divisions were named after the divisional capitals, with some exceptions.
From 1955 to 1970, theOne Unit policy meant that there were only two provinces –East andWest Pakistan. East Pakistan had the same divisions as East Bengal had previously, but West Pakistan gradually gained seven new divisions to add to the original six. TheBaluchistan States Union becameKalat Division, while the formerBaluchistan Chief Commissioner's Province becameQuetta Division. Princely State ofKhairpur and with some parts ofHyderabad division were joining to formKhairpur Division. The former princely state ofBahawalpur becameBahawalpur Division, therefore joining West Punjab. TheFederal Capital Territory was absorbed into West Pakistan in 1959 and in 1960 merged with the district ofLas Bela to form theKarachi-Bela Division. In 1969, the princely states ofChitral,Dir andSwat were incorporated into West Pakistan as the division ofMalakand with Saidu as the divisional headquarters. In 1975, Khairpur division abolished and replace it withSukkur Division. In 1980,Sukkur division(Formally Khairpur division) was bifurcated to createLarkana division. In 1990,Mirpurkhas division created by bifurcation ofHyderabad division.
When West Pakistan was dissolved, the divisions were regrouped into four new provinces. Gradually over the late 1970s, new divisions were formed;Hazara andKohat divisions were split fromPeshawar Division;Gujranwala Division was formed from parts ofLahore andRawalpindi divisions;Dera Ghazi Khan Division was split fromMultan Division;Faisalabad Division was split fromSargodha Division;Sibi Division was formed from parts ofKalat andQuetta divisions;Lasbela District was transferred fromKarachi Division toKalat Division;Makran Division split fromKalat Division. The name ofKhairpur Division was changed toSukkur Division and Headquarters ofKhairpur Division shifted fromkhairpur toSukkur.Shaheed Benazirabad is also a new division in Sindh.
During the military rule of GeneralZia-ul-Haq, the Advisory Council of Islamize Ideology (headed by Justice Tanzilur Rahman) was tasked with finding ways to Islamic the country. One of its recommendations was that the existing four provinces should be dissolved and the twenty administrative divisions should become new provinces in a federal structure with greater devolution of power, but this proposal was never implemented.
In the recent past (i.e. in last three decades),Naseerabad Division was split fromSibi Division;Zhob Division was split fromQuetta Division;Bannu Division was split fromDera Ismail Khan Division;Mardan Division was split fromPeshawar Division;Larkana Division were split fromSukkur Division andShaheed Benazirabad Division[1]Mirpur Khas Division was split fromHyderabad Division.Sahiwal Division was formed from parts ofLahore andMultan Divisions whileSheikhupura Division was formed fromLahore andFaisalabad Divisions. The capital ofKalat Division was moved fromKalat toKhuzdar.Rakhshan Division is recently added toBalochistan comprising parts ofQuetta andKalat Divisions with capital atKharan.
Recently in June 2021,Loralai Division was added toBalochistan, by splitting off fromZhob Division.[2]
In August 2000, local government reforms abolished the "Division" as an administrative tier and introduced a system of local government councils, with the first elections held in 2001. Following that there was radical restructuring of the local government system to implement "the principle ofsubsidiarity, whereby all functions that can be effectively performed at the local level are transferred to that level". This meant devolution of many functions, to districts and tehsils, which were previously handled at the provincial and divisional levels. At abolition, there were twenty-six divisions in Pakistan proper – five inSindh, six inBalochistan, seven inKhyber-Pakhtunkhwa and eight inPunjab. Abolition did not affect the three divisions ofAzad Kashmir, which form the second tier of government.
In 2008, after the public elections, the new government decided to restore the divisions of all provinces.[3]
In Sindh after the lapse of the Local Governments Bodies term in 2010 the Divisional Commissioners system was to be restored.[4][5][6]
In July 2011, following excessive violence in the city of Karachi and after the political split between the ruling PPP and the majority party in Sindh, the MQM and after the resignation of the MQM Governor of Sindh, PPP and the Govt. of Sindh decided to restore the commissioner system in the province. As a consequence, the five divisions of Sindh have been restored namely, Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Mirpurkhas and Larkana with their respective districts. One new division was added in Sindh, the Shaheed Benazirabad division.[7]
Karachi district has been de-merged into its 5 original constituent districts namelyKarachi East,Karachi West,Karachi Central,Karachi South andMalir. Korangi has been upgraded to the status of a sixth district of Karachi by splitting fromKarachi East District. RecentlyKeamari District is formed by bifurcatingKarachi West District. These seven districts form theKarachi Division now.[8]
The following tables show the current total 37 divisions of Pakistan with 31 divisions by province i.e., 8 divisions ofBalochistan, 7 divisions ofKhyber Pakhtunkhwa, 10 divisions ofPunjab, amd 6 divisions ofSindh, with their respective populations as of the2023 Census of Pakistan,[9][10][11][12]and the 6 divisions of Pakistan–administered regions of Kashmir; 3 forAzad Kashmir andGilgit-Baltistan each.
In Pakistan, the division is the administrative unit, which is higher in hierarchy than a district, but lower in hierarchy than aprovince.
| Division[13] | Districts[13][14] | Area[13] | Population (2023)[13] | Population Density (2023)[13] | Literacy rate (2023)[13] | Map | Capital |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kalat Division | 91,767 km2 (35,431 sq mi) | 2,721,018 | 29.65/km2 | 38.72% |  | Khuzdar | |
| Loralai Division | 17,260 km2 (6,660 sq mi) | 870,000 | 50.41/km2 | 39.89% | Loralai | ||
| Zhob Division | 27,128 km2 (10,474 sq mi) | 927,579 | 34.19/km2 | 32.33% |  | Zhob | |
| Makran Division | 52,067 km2 (20,103 sq mi) | 1,875,872 | 36.03/km2 | 47.69% |  | Turbat | |
| Naseerabad Division | 15,129 km2 (5,841 sq mi) | 2,044,021 | 135.11/km2 | 32.59% |  | Dera Murad Jamali | |
| Quetta Division | 14,559 km2 (5,621 sq mi) | 4,259,163 | 292.55/km2 | 51.68% |  | Quetta | |
| Rakhshan Division | 98,596 km2 (38,068 sq mi) | 1,040,001 | 10.55/km2 | 36.84% |  | Kharan | |
| Sibi Division | 30,684 km2 (11,847 sq mi) | 1,156,748 | 37.70/km2 | 34.70% |  | Sibi |
In Pakistan, the division is the administrative unit which is higher than a district, but lower than aprovince. Divisions and are separated by color on the map.
| Division | Districts[15][16][17] | Population (2023)[15] | Area[15] | Population Density (2023)[15] | Literacy (2023)[15] | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bannu Division | 3,092,078 | 9,975 km2 (3,851 sq mi) | 309.98/km2 | 42.11% |  | |
| Dera Ismail Khan Division | 3,188,779 | 18,854 km2 (7,280 sq mi) | 169.13/km2 | 41.73% |  | |
| Hazara Division | 6,188,736 | 17,064 km2 (6,588 sq mi) | 362.68/km2 | 60.95% |  | |
| Kohat Division | 3,752,436 | 12,377 km2 (4,779 sq mi) | 303.18/km2 | 50.89% |  | |
| Malakand Division | 9,959,399 | 31,162 km2 (12,032 sq mi) | 319.6/km2 | 47.51% |  | |
| Mardan Division | 4,639,498 | 3,175 km2 (1,226 sq mi) | 1461.26/km2 | 56.90% |  | |
| Peshawar Division | 10,035,171 | 9,134 km2 (3,527 sq mi) | 1098.66/km2 | 51.32% |  |
This section is an excerpt fromDivisions of Punjab, Pakistan § List of divisions by population over the years.
| Name | Headquarters | Districts | Area (km2)[18] | Population (2023)[18] | Population Density (2023)[18] | Literacy rate (2023)[18] | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bahawalpur[19] | Bahawalpur | 45,588 | 13,400,009 | 293.94/km2 | 52.13% | .svg) | |
| Dera Ghazi Khan[20] | Dera Ghazi Khan | 38,778 | 12,892,465 | 332.47/km2 | 48.00% | .svg) | |
| Faisalabad[21] | Faisalabad | 17,918 | 16,228,526 | 905.71/km2 | 68.80% | .svg) | |
| Gujranwala[22] | Gujranwala | 7,779 | 11,416,686 | 937.11/km2 | 76.41% | _(2022).png) | |
| Gujrat[23] | Gujrat | 9,438 | 7,362,182 | 670/km2 | 76.41% | .png) | |
| Lahore[24] | Lahore | 11,727 | 22,772,710 | 1941.90/km2 | 73.63% | .svg) | |
| Multan[25] | Multan | 15,211 | 14,085,102 | 925.98/km2 | 59.43% | .svg) | |
| Rawalpindi[26] | Rawalpindi | 18,823 | 10,804,250 | 574.50 | 79.9% | .svg) | |
| Sahiwal[27] | Sahiwal | 10,302 | 8,533,471 | 828.33/km2 | 61.02% | .svg) | |
| Sargodha[28] | Sargodha | 26,360 | 9,591,275 | 263.86/km2 | 63.19% |  |
| Name | Headquarter | Districts | Area (km2)[29] | Population (2023)[29] | Pop. Density (2023)[29] | Literacy rate (2023)[29] | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hyderabad Division | Hyderabad | 48,670 | 11,659,246 | 239.56/km2 | 45.38% | .svg) | |
| Karachi Division | Karachi | 3,527 | 20,382,881 | 5,779.10/km2 | 75.11% | .svg) | |
| Larkana Division | Larkana | 15,213 | 7,093,706 | 466.29/km2 | 44.53% | .svg) | |
| Mirpur Khas Division | Mirpur Khas | 28,170 | 4,619,624 | 153.99/km2 | 40.41% | .svg) | |
| Shaheed Benazirabad Division | Nawabshah | 18,176 | 5,930,649 | 326.29/km2 | 49.91% | .svg) | |
| Sukkur Division | Sukkur | 27,158 | 6,010,041 | 221.30/km2 | 59.72% | .svg) |
| Divisions ofAzad Jammu & Kashmir | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Area (km2) | Population 1998 Census | Population 2017 Census | Population 2023 Census | Capital |
| Mirpur | 4,388 | 1,198,249 | 1,651,018 | N/A | Mirpur |
| Muzaffarabad | 6,117 | 745,733 | 1,072,150 | N/A | Muzaffarabad |
| Poonch | 2,792 | 1,028,541 | 1,322,198 | N/A | Rawalakot |
| Divisions ofGilgit-Baltistan | |||||
| Division | Area (km2) | Population 1998 Census | Population 2017 Census | Population 2023 Census | Capital |
| Gilgit | - | N/A | N/A | N/A | Gilgit |
| Baltistan | - | N/A | N/A | N/A | Skardu |
| Diamer | - | N/A | N/A | N/A | Chilas |
| Division | Population (2023) | Area (km2) | Density/ (km2) (2017) | Literacy rate(2023) | Capital | Province |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Islamabad | 2,363,863 | 906 | 2214.76 | 83.97% | Islamabad | Islamabad |
| Dera Ismail Khan | 3,188,779 | 9,005 | 224.21 | 41.73% | Dera Ismail Khan | KPK |
| Bannu | 3,092,078 | 4,391 | 465.51 | 42.11% | Bannu | |
| Kohat | 3,752,436 | 7,012 | 316.45 | 50.89% | Kohat | |
| Hazara | 6,188,736 | 17,194 | 309.7 | 60.95% | Abbottabad | |
| Malakand | 9,959,399 | 29,872 | 251.56 | 47.51% | Saidu | |
| Mardan | 4,639,498 | 3,046 | 1312.43 | 56.90% | Mardan | |
| Peshawar | 10,035,171 | 4,001 | 1850.49 | 51.32% | Peshawar | |
| Dera Ghazi Khan | 12,892,465 | 38,778 | 284.04 | 48.00% | Dera Ghazi Khan | Punjab |
| Lahore | 22,772,710 | 11,727 | 1654.14 | 73.63% | Lahore | |
| Faisalabad | 16,228,526 | 17,917 | 791.26 | 68.80% | Faisalabad | |
| Bahawalpur | 13,400,009 | 45,588 | 251.47 | 52.13% | Bahawalpur | |
| Gujranwala | 11,416,686 | 7,779 | 937.11 | 76.41% | Gujranwala | |
| Gujrat | 7,362,182 | 9,438 | 780.05 | 75.30% | Gujrat | |
| Multan | 14,085,102 | 17,935 | 683.87 | 59.43% | Multan | |
| Rawalpindi | 10,804,250 | 18,823 | 574.5 | 79.90% | Rawalpindi | |
| Sargodha | 9,591,275 | 26,360 | 310.38 | 63.19% | Sargodha | |
| Sahiwal | 8,533,471 | 10,302 | 520.57 | 61.02% | Sahiwal | |
| Karachi | 20,382,881 | 3,528 | 4549.75 | 75.11% | Karachi | Sindh |
| Mirpur Khas | 4,619,624 | 28,171 | 150.11 | 40.41% | Mirpur Khas | |
| Hyderabad | 11,659,246 | 64,963 | 163.06 | 45.38% | Hyderabad | |
| Larkana | 7,093,706 | 15,543 | 398.4 | 44.53% | Larkana | |
| Shaheed Benazirabad | 5,930,649 | 18,175 | 290.63 | 49.91% | Shaheed Benazirabad | |
| Sukkur | 6,010,041 | 34,752 | 159.37 | 49.72% | Sukkur | |
| Makran | 1,875,872 | 52,067 | 28.6 | 47.69% | Turbat | Balochistan |
| Nasirabad | 2,044,021 | 16,946 | 34.88 | 32.59% | Dera Murad Jamali | |
| Quetta | 4,259,163 | 64,310 | 64.91 | 51.68% | Quetta | |
| Kalat | 2,721,018 | 91,767 | 17.85 | 38.72% | Khuzdar | |
| Sibi | 1,156,748 | 27,055 | 38.37 | 34.70% | Sibi | |
| Rakhshan | 1,040,001 | 98,596 | – | 36.84% | Kharan | |
| Zhob | 927,579 | 27,128 | 34.2 | 32.33% | Zhob | |
| Loralai | 870,000 | 17,260 | 50.4 | 39.89% | Loralai | |
| Mirpur | – | 4,388 | – | – | Mirpur | AJK |
| Muzaffarabad | – | 6,117 | – | – | Muzaffarabad | |
| Poonch | – | 2,792 | – | – | Rawalakot | |
| Gilgit | – | – | – | – | Gilgit | Gilgit-Baltistan |
| Baltistan | – | – | – | – | Skardu | |
| Diamer | – | – | – | – | Chilas |
| Division | Pop. 2023 | Pop. 2017 | Pop. 1998 | Pop. 1981 | Pop. 1972 | Pop. 1961 | Pop. 1951 | Province |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Islamabad | 2,363,863 | 2,006,572 | 805,235 | 340,286 | – | – | – | Islamabad |
| Bahawalpur | 13,400,009 | 11,464,031 | 7,635,591 | 4,068,636 | – | – | – | Punjab |
| Lahore | 22,772,710 | 19,398,081 | 12,015,649 | 7,183,097 | – | – | – | |
| Dera Ghazi Khan | 12,892,465 | 11,014,398 | 6,503,590 | 3,746,837 | – | – | – | |
| Faisalabad | 16,228,526 | 14,177,081 | 9,885,685 | 6,667,425 | – | – | – | |
| Multan | 14,085,102 | 12,265,161 | 8,447,557 | 5,408,561 | – | – | – | |
| Rawalpindi | 10,804,250 | 10,007,821 | 6,659,528 | 4,432,729 | – | – | – | |
| Sargodha | 9,591,275 | 8,181,499 | 5,679,766 | 3,930,628 | – | – | – | |
| Sahiwal | 8,533,471 | 5,362,866 | 4,271,247 | – | – | – | – | |
| Gujranwala | 11,416,686 | 9,783,183 | 6,101,052 | 3,934,861 | 3,218,873 | 2,587,061 | 1,835,178 | |
| Gujrat | 7,362,182 | 6,337,678 | 4,685,773 | 3,264,764 | 2,713,675 | 1,872,505 | 1,626,496 | |
| Mirpur Khas | 4,619,624 | 4,228,683 | 2,585,417 | 1,501,882 | – | – | – | Sindh |
| Hyderabad | 11,659,246 | 10,592,635 | 6,829,537 | 4,678,290 | – | – | – | |
| Karachi | 20,382,881 | 16,051,521 | 9,856,318 | 5,437,984 | – | – | – | |
| Larkana | 7,093,706 | 6,192,380 | 4,210,650 | 2,746,201 | – | – | – | |
| Shaheed Benazirabad | 5,930,649 | 5,282,277 | 3,510,036 | 2,560,448 | – | – | – | |
| Sukkur | 6,010,041 | 5,538,555 | 3,447,935 | 2,103,861 | – | – | – | |
| Dera Ismail Khan | 3,188,779 | 2,019,017 | 1,091,211 | 635,494 | – | – | – | KPK |
| Bannu | 3,092,078 | 2,044,074 | 1,165,692 | 710,786 | – | – | – | |
| Kohat | 3,752,436 | 2,218,971 | 1,307,969 | 758,772 | – | – | – | |
| Hazara | 6,188,736 | 5,325,121 | 3,505,581 | 2,701,257 | – | – | – | |
| Malakand | 9,959,399 | 7,514,694 | 4,262,700 | 2,466,767 | – | – | – | |
| Mardan | 4,639,498 | 3,997,677 | 2,486,904 | 1,506,500 | – | – | – | |
| Peshawar | 10,035,171 | 7,403,817 | 3,923,588 | 2,281,752 | – | – | – | |
| Kalat | 2,721,018 | 2,509,230 | 1,457,722 | 1,044,174 | – | – | – | Balochistan |
| Nasirabad | 2,044,021 | 591,144 | 1,076,708 | 699,669 | – | – | – | |
| Makran | 1,875,872 | 1,489,015 | 832,753 | 652,602 | – | – | – | |
| Quetta | 4,259,163 | 4,174,562 | 1,699,957 | 880,618 | – | – | – | |
| Sibi | 1,156,748 | 1,038,010 | 630,901 | 305,768 | – | – | – | |
| Zhob | 927,579 | 806,238 | 468,695 | 361,647 | 171,989 | – | – | |
| Loralai | 870,000 | 736,209 | 487,748 | – | – | – | – | |
| Rakhshan | 1,040,001 | 737,162 | 409,473 | – | – | – | – | |
| Mirpur | – | 1,651,018 | 1,198,249 | – | – | – | – | AJK |
| Muzaffarabad | – | 1,072,150 | 745,733 | – | – | – | – | |
| Poonch | – | 1,322,198 | 1,028,541 | – | – | – | – | |
| Gilgit | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | Gilgit-Baltistan |
| Baltistan | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| Diamer | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
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