Pakistan Population
Pakistan had an estimated population of 255,219,554 in mid-2025 (World Bank), making it the 5th most populous of 217 countries and territories, with 3.11% of everyone alive. The counter above projects that figure forward at the current growth rate of +1.56% a year.
Pakistan at a glance
How Pakistan's population is changing
Pakistan's population is growing fast: +1.56% a year, which works out to about +3,981,282 people per year, or +10,900 a day. Births (27.4 per 1,000) and deaths (6.4 per 1,000) alone would give +2.10% a year; net migration removes about 1,235,336 people a year (−0.48%). Roughly one in every 32 people on Earth lives in Pakistan.
Population of Pakistan since 1960
In 1960, Pakistan had 45,709,310 people. By 2025 that was 255,219,554 — 5.6× larger. The fastest growth came between 1978 and 1988, when the population rose by 42%.
| Year | Population | Change vs previous row |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 45,709,310 | — |
| 1970 | 60,166,719 | +31.6% |
| 1980 | 82,291,010 | +36.8% |
| 1990 | 116,155,576 | +41.2% |
| 2000 | 154,879,127 | +33.3% |
| 2010 | 199,239,047 | +28.6% |
| 2020 | 235,001,746 | +17.9% |
| 2025 | 255,219,554 | +8.6% |
Pakistan from 1800 to 2100
Modelled estimates put Pakistan at about 13,119,841 people in 1800; the UN estimates 255,219,560 in 2025 (19× 1800) and projects 511,000,613 for 2100 in its medium scenario. That is still 100% growth over the rest of this century.
| Year | Population | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 13,119,841 | modelled estimate |
| 1850 | 15,066,213 | modelled estimate |
| 1900 | 18,263,133 | modelled estimate |
| 1950 | 35,849,256 | UN estimate |
| 2000 | 154,879,124 | UN estimate |
| 2025 | 255,219,560 | UN projection |
| 2050 | 371,863,799 | UN projection |
| 2075 | 466,698,212 | UN projection |
| 2100 | 511,000,613 | UN projection |
Country live/base figures use World Bank estimates; this historical/future chart uses a separate UN series and need not match the World Bank base in overlapping years. Before 1950: HYDE 3.3 / Gapminder reconstructions via Our World in Data — historical modelling, not censuses. 1950–2023: UN World Population Prospects 2024. 2024–2100: UN medium projection. Open the time machine to see the whole map in any year.
Largest listed places in Pakistan
10 records sorted by displayed base population. Definitions vary (province/administrative unit, UN urban centre or GeoNames settlement); this is not a harmonised city ranking. Shares use World Bank 2025 country population 255,219,554. Dates and boundaries may differ. Overlapping entities are not summed.
| # | Place | Population | Definition | Share | Source / reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Karachi | 21,422,590 | UN urban centre | 8.39% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 2 | Lahore | 15,156,430 | UN urban centre | 5.94% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 3 | Faisalabad | 5,566,382 | UN urban centre | 2.18% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 4 | Peshawar | 3,554,423 | UN urban centre | 1.39% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 5 | Rawalpindi | 3,357,612 | GeoNames settlement | 1.32% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 6 | Gujranwala | 3,121,271 | UN urban centre | 1.22% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 7 | Multan | 2,956,642 | UN urban centre | 1.16% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 8 | Hyderabad | 2,863,633 | UN urban centre | 1.12% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 9 | Sialkot | 1,907,978 | UN urban centre | 0.75% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 10 | Mardan | 1,330,031 | UN urban centre | 0.52% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
How Pakistan compares
Pakistan has almost the same population as Nigeria (237,527,782).
| Rank | Country | Population | vs Pakistan | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #3 |  United States | 341,784,857 | +34% | compare → |
| #4 |  Indonesia | 285,721,236 | +12% | compare → |
| #6 |  Nigeria | 237,527,782 | −7% | compare → |
| #7 |  Brazil | 212,812,405 | −17% | compare → |
Compare Pakistan with any country →
Same region (Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan): Egypt, Iran, Algeria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen.
Explore around Pakistan
Land neighbours (4)
India 1,463,865,525 · 5.7× the population · compare
China 1,406,585,000 · 5.5× the population · compare
Iran 92,417,681 · 2.8× smaller · compare
Afghanistan 43,844,111 · 5.8× smaller · compare
Pakistan's 4 neighbours together hold 3,006,712,317 people — 11.8× Pakistan's population. The most populous is India (1,463,865,525).
In its region
Pakistan is the 1st most populous of the 23 economies in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, holding 30.8% of the region's 828,025,185 people.
Rankings featuring Pakistan
Cities
Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad, Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Multan, Hyderabad — all Pakistan's cities on the map.
World population history · The world when you were born · Pakistan when you were born · Time machine · Embed this live counter on your site
About these numbers
Population, growth, birth and death rates, migration, density, age structure, life expectancy, fertility and GDP per capita come from the World Bank Indicators API (latest available year shown beside each figure). The live counter applies the annual growth rate continuously from 1 July 2025 — a model, not a measurement. City populations are the latest census or official estimate held by GeoNames and are not projected. Sub-city units are folded into their parent city.
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Read this country carefully
This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.