Pakistan Population

The South Asian country of Pakistan is home to over 212 million people and is the fifth-most populous country in the world. Officially known as the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is bordered by India, Afghanistan, Iran, and China.

Pakistan has the sixth largest standing armed forces in the world. The country is also a nuclear power and a declared nuclear-weapons state. Pakistan has one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing middle class populations in the world. The country has had a long history of political strife and instability. It continues to face ongoing challenges concerning illiteracy, corruption, and overcrowding. It is a member of the UN and is a major non-NATO ally.

A population that has expanded sevenfold

Pakistan’s population has exploded in the past 60 years. Since 1960, Pakistan went from having 44 million people to having 221 million people, and it’s predicted that by 2050, the country will have over 330 million people. The country’s 3.00% growth rate is a generous one and it has also been supplemented by a very high birth rate of 27 per 1,000—this is on par with countries like Bolivia and Haiti.

Unfortunately, this high birth rate and fast growth has put the country on a path to disaster. Increasingly crowded schools, clinics and overwhelmed, impoverished communities mean that Pakistan could soon start to face catastrophic issues. With 60% of the population under 30, nearly a third of the country’s population living under the international poverty line, and only 58% of the country being literate, the country is poised to face a crisis. Much of this can be blamed on a trifecta of issues, including religious taboos, public ignorance (especially in rural areas), and political timidity on the part of policy makers.

Rapid urbanization and the rise of megacities

The country has also undergone dramatic social changes in the past few decades, with a shift towards rapid urbanization and the emergence of megacities. While there are still 138 million living in rural areas of the country, 50% of Pakistanis live in towns of 5,000 people are more, not far flung in the country. Also, 36% of the country’s population live in cities with more than 10 million people, such as Lahore and Karachi, which have 15 million and 10 million residents, respectively.

Treatment of women

Women make up almost 50% of Pakistan’s population, with 107 million females in the country. The impact of uneven socioeconomic development, coupled with the influence of tribal and feudal systems means that the status of women in Pakistan differs greatly across classes, regions and rural and urban spaces.

Women have held some of the highest positions in the country, including Prime Minister, Speaker of the National Assembly, the military rank of Major General, and Leader of the Opposition, and Gender Concerns International have reported that the overall state of women’s rights in Pakistan is improving, with more women getting educations and becoming literate. That being said, women in Pakistan still face much discrimination due to the patriarchal society common in Pakistan. Some of the risk women face include rape, honor killings, forced marriages, domestic violence, induced abortions, and more. Pakistan is ranked as one of the most dangerous countries in the world for women.

A country of many languages

There are between 75 and 80 languages spoken in Pakistan, though there are primarily six major languages that are spoken by 95% of the population. These are: Pashto, Punjabi, Urdu, Sindhi, Saraiki, and Balochi. The country’s official language is actually English, and the national language is Urdu. While only 8% of the population list Urdu as their mother tongue, the country’s speedy urbanization and modernization has meant that use of Urdu as a primary language is increasing. Much of Pakistan’s people speak two or three languages, and almost all understand some Urdu.

English is widely used within the civil service, the government, and in higher ranks of the military. The country’s Constitution and laws are also written in English and many schools use English as the medium of instruction.