| Pakistan Census مردم شماری پاکستان | |
|---|---|
| Frequency | Decennially (every 10 years) |
| Locations | Plot No. 21, Mauve Area, G-9/1, Islamabad Pakistan 44080 |
| Country | Pakistan |
| Inaugurated | 1951; 75 years ago (1951) |
| Previous event | May 2023; 2 years ago (2023-05) |
| People | Asif Bajwa[1] Chief Statistician/Chief Census Commissioner |
| Website | www |
TheCensus in Pakistan is a legally decennialcensus and a descriptive count ofPakistan'spopulation onCensus Day, and of theirdwellings, conducted and supervised by thePakistan Bureau of Statistics.[2] The most recent census was the2023 Pakistani census.
A national census is mandated by theConstitution ofPakistan to be held everyten years.[3][4] After theindependence ofPakistan in 1947, the first census took place in 1951 under Finance MinisterSir Malik Ghulam, serving under Prime MinisterLiaquat Ali Khan.[5] Since 1951, there have been 7 nationwide censuses (1961, 1972, 1981, 1998, 2017 and 2023). The censuses have often faced delays and postponements due to politicization. For example, the 6th national census after 1998 (which itself faced a delay of 7 years) was scheduled to take place in 2001, later being postponed to 2008,[6][7] and then again to 2010.[8] There were multiple census counts completed in April 2012,[9][10] but were subsequently thrown out as being "unreliable". It was ultimately conducted in 2017. The most recent census in 2023 recorded a total population throughout the country of 241,499,431 (excludingGilgit-Baltistan andAzad Kashmir).[11]
According to 1951 census, theDominion of Pakistan (both West and East Pakistan) had a population of 75.7 million, in whichWest Pakistan had a population of 33.7 million andEast Pakistan (todayBangladesh) had a population of 42 million.[12][13] In 1951, minorities constituted 14.4% of thePakistani population (this includes East Pakistan, today Bangladesh). Breaking down between East and West Pakistan, the population of West Pakistan was 3.44% non-Muslim (1.16 million out of 33.7 million), while East Pakistan (today Bangladesh) was 23.20% non-Muslim (9.744 million out of 42 million). Total non-Muslim population on both sides added up to 10.90 million.
According to the 1961 census, the population ofPakistan was 93 million, with 42.8 million residing inWest Pakistan and 50 million residing inEast Pakistan.[12][13] The literacy was 19.2%, in which East Pakistan had a literacy rate of 21.5% while West Pakistan had a literacy rate of 16.9%.[14] Hindus in East Pakistan were 18.4%.[15]
The scheduled 1971 census was postponed due to thepolitical crisis of 1970 followed by theIndia-Pakistan war of 1971 andsubsequent loss ofEast Pakistan through theindependence ofBangladesh.[16][17] In 1970, the population was 65 million in the East Pakistan (Bangladesh) and 58 million in West Pakistan.[18]
According to the 1972 census, the population of Pakistan was 65.3 million.[19][20] After 1972, the Census Organization was merged into theMinistry of Interior.[21]
According to the 1981 census, the population of Pakistan was 83.783 million.
The1998 Census of Pakistan was the fifth Pakistani national census. It provided a detailed enumeration of the population ofPakistan at the time it was conducted under the authority of thePakistan Bureau of Statistics, an agency of theGovernment of Pakistan.[22] According to the 1998 census, the population of Pakistan proper (excludingdisputed territories) stood at 130,857,717 people. With the inclusion of the population ofAzad Jammu & Kashmir andGilgit-Baltistan, the population stood at 134,714,017 people. Despite being mandated by theConstitution of Pakistan to be held every 10 years, this was the first census to take place in Pakistan after the 1981 census that took place 17 years earlier, and the next census would not be held for another 19 years,until 2017. The inconsistencies in Pakistan's national elections are due in part topolitical turmoil andinstability within the country.
A UN led census was to be conducted with staff training andGPS digitisation after 1998.[23] As of 2015, the population of Pakistan was estimated at 191.71 million.[24][25] As of 2016, the population of religious minorities in Pakistan was estimated to have increased to 3 million.[26]
The2017 Census of Pakistan was a detailed enumeration of thePakistani population which began on 15 March 2017 and ended on 25 May 2017. It was the first census taken in the country in the 21st century, nineteen years after theprevious one in 1998, and it was carried out by thePakistan Bureau of Statistics.
The census recorded a total population throughout the country of 213,222,917.[note 1] The results showed a massive population increase having occurred between 1998 and 2017 of 77.0 million people, or an increase of +56.5%.[note 2] The results also marked a significantly higher result compared to estimations made of the Pakistani population before the census, which had previously estimated the Pakistani population in 2017 to be between 195 million and 200 million.[30][31]
Controversies regarding this census, focused around the populations of Pakistan's largest city,Karachi and the province ofSindh, resulted in another censusbeing scheduled early in the year 2023. The results of that census will be used to delimitate constituencies for the2023 Pakistani general election.
The2023 Census of Pakistan was the seventh national census anddetailed enumeration of the Pakistani population.[32][33][34] It was conducted by thePakistan Bureau of Statistics.[35] It was also the first ever digital census to be held in Pakistan, and the first in South Asian history.[36] It is the most recent census in Pakistan.
The census was initially held from 1 March 2023 to 1 April 2023. However, enumeration was later extended several times until 30 May 2023, because of incomplete enumeration in large cities such asKarachi,Lahore, andFaisalabad, where people are more mobile and therefore harder to count, and in remote and ruralBalochistan. The extension was also used by PBS officials and census takers for quality reviews, to check if all households and people were properly counted in each area.[37][38][39] The 2023 census recorded a total population throughout the country of 241,499,431 (excludingGilgit-Baltistan andAzad Kashmir).[40][41][42]
Media related toCensuses in Pakistan at Wikimedia Commons
