Editing Demographics of Pakistan (section)

===Population distribution===

Pakistan's population is distributed unevenly, with over half of the country's people living in the [[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab]] province. On the other hand, Balochistan, which is geographically Pakistan's largest province, is its least-populated. The population is mainly clustered around the most agriculturally fertile areas, particularly the [[Indus River]] and its tributaries. Most of the country's people live in [[rural area]]s, but two large and growing [[Megacity|megacities]] exist: the coastal [[Karachi]] and [[Lahore]] in eastern Punjab. Numerous smaller cities (such as [[Faisalabad]], [[Rawalpindi]], [[Peshawar]], and the capital [[Islamabad]]) dot the rest of the country.

====By province====

The table below shows Pakistan's provinces and territories by their historical population. While every one of Pakistan's administrative units currently has a growing population, the pace of growth is uneven throughout the country due to differing levels of fertility, mortality, as well as domestic and international migration. Populations pertaining to the modern borders of provinces are shown.

{|class="wikitable" style=text-align:right 
|+
|-class=static-row-header style=vertical-align:bottom
|-
! width="200" |Province or Territory
! width="100" |[[Census in Pakistan#1951|1951]]<ref name="1951-1998Data" />
! width="100" |[[Census in Pakistan#1961|1961]]<ref name="1951-1998Data" />
! width="100" |[[Census in Pakistan#1972|1972]]<ref name="1951-1998Data" />
! width="100" |[[Census in Pakistan#1981|1981]]<ref name="1951-1998Data" />
! width="100" |[[1998 Census of Pakistan|1998]]<ref name="1951-1998Data" />
! width="100" |[[2017 Pakistani census|2017]]<ref name="2017CensusPopulation" />
![[2023 Pakistani census|2023]]<ref name="keyfindings2023" />
|-
! style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Punjab, Pakistan|name=Punjab}}
 |20,540,762
 |25,463,974
 |37,607,423
 |47,292,441
 |73,691,290
 |109,989,655
|127,688,922
|-
! style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Sindh}}
 |6,047,748
 |8,367,065
 |14,155,909
 |19,028,666
 |30,439,893
 |47,854,510
|55,696,147
|-
! style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Khyber Pakhtunkhwa}}
 |5,888,550
 |7,578,186
 |10,879,781
 |13,259,875
 |20,919,976
 |35,501,964
|40,856,097
|-
! style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Balochistan, Pakistan|name=Balochistan}}
 |1,167,167
 |1,353,484
 |2,428,678
 |4,332,376
 |6,565,885
 |12,335,129
|14,894,402
|-
! style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Islamabad|name={{abbr|ICT|Islamabad Capital Territory}}}}
 |—
 |117,669
 |237,549
 |340,286
 |805,235
 |2,003,368
|2,363,863
|-
! style="text-align:left;" |Four Provinces and ICT
 !33,740,167
 !42,880,378
 !65,309,340
 !84,253,644
 !132,352,279
 !207,684,626
!241,499,431
|- bgcolor="#ffffaf"
! style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Azad Kashmir}}<ref name="AJK" />
 |886,000
 |1,065,000
 |1,573,000
 |1,983,465
 |2,972,501
 |4,045,367
|
|- bgcolor="#ffffaf"
! style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Gilgit-Baltistan}}<ref name="GB" />
 |—
 |—
 |—
 |—
 |884,000
 |1,492,924
|
|-
! style="text-align:left;" |Total Pakistan
 !—
 !—
 !—
 !—
 !136,208,780
 !213,222,917
!
|}

====Urbanization====

The following table shows how Pakistan has [[urbanised]]. As is true with population growth, urbanisation is an uneven and nonlinear process. With an urbanisation rate of 54% as of 2023, Sindh is the country's most urbanised province. This is largely fuelled by the growth of [[Karachi]], which economically dominates the province and attracts migrants from the rest of the country. On the other hand, the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the territory of Gilgit-Baltistan both share very low urbanisation rates.

{|class="wikitable" style=text-align:right 
|+
|-class=static-row-header style=vertical-align:bottom
|-
! width="200" |Province or Territory
! width="100" |[[Census in Pakistan#1951|1951]]<ref name="1951-1998Data" />
! width="100" |[[Census in Pakistan#1961|1961]]<ref name="1951-1998Data" />
! width="100" |[[Census in Pakistan#1972|1972]]<ref name="1951-1998Data" />
! width="100" |[[Census in Pakistan#1981|1981]]<ref name="1951-1998Data" />
! width="100" |[[1998 Census of Pakistan|1998]]<ref name="1951-1998Data" />
! width="100" |[[2017 Pakistani census|2017]]<ref name="2017CensusPopulation" />
![[2023 Pakistani census|2023]]<ref name="keyfindings2023" />
|-
! style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Punjab, Pakistan|name=Punjab}}
 |17.3%
 |21.5%
 |24.4%
 |27.6%
 |31.3%
 |36.9%
|40.7%
|-
! style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Sindh}}
 |29.2%
 |37.9%
 |40.4%
 |43.3%
 |48.8%
 |51.9%
|54.0%
|-
! style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Khyber Pakhtunkhwa}}
 |8.6%
 |10.3%
 |11.1%
 |12.6%
 |14.3%
 |16.5%
|15.0%
|-
! style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Balochistan, Pakistan|name=Balochistan}}
 |12.4%
 |16.9%
 |16.5%
 |15.6%
 |23.9%
 |27.6%
|30.1%
|-
! style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Islamabad|name={{abbr|ICT|Islamabad Capital Territory}}}}
 |0.0%
 |0.0%
 |32.3%
 |60.1%
 |65.7%
 |50.4%
|46.9%
|-
! style="text-align:left;" |Four Provinces and ICT
 !17.7%
 !22.5%
 !25.4%
 !28.3%
 !32.5%
 !36.4%
!38.9%
|- bgcolor="#ffffaf"
! style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Azad Kashmir}}<ref name="AJK" />
 |—
 |—
 |—
 |8.1%
 |12.5%
 |17.4%
|
|- bgcolor="#ffffaf"
! style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Gilgit-Baltistan}}<ref name="GB" />
 |—
 |—
 |—
 |—
 |16.8%
 |16.5%
|
|}

====Largest cities====
{{main|List of cities in Pakistan by population}}

As urbanisation has progressed and owing to the country's large population, Pakistan today has many very large urban centers which act as hubs for commerce and culture. The nation has two megacities, [[Karachi]] and [[Lahore]]. With populations of 18.9&nbsp;million and 13&nbsp;million respectively (as of 2023), they are among the world's largest metropolises. The country also has eight more cities with more than 1 million residents each: [[Faisalabad]], [[Rawalpindi]], [[Gujranwala]], [[Multan]], [[Hyderabad, Sindh|Hyderabad]], [[Peshawar]], [[Quetta]], and [[Islamabad]]. All of them play a significant role in the country, housing nearly 19 million people altogether.

Below a list showing Pakistan's cities with a population over 500,000 as of the 2023 census can be found, which not only shows the current populations of the cities, but also their growth rates and locations. The full list can be found on the main article: [[List of cities in Pakistan by population]].

All city population figures below include adjacent [[cantonment]]s.

{{Static row numbers}}
{|class="wikitable sortable static-row-numbers" style=text-align:right
|+
|-class=static-row-header style=vertical-align:bottom
! width="100" |City Name
! width="100" |Province or Territory
! width="100" |2023 Population<ref name="keyfindings2023" />
! width="100" |Avg. Annual Growth Rate (2017-2023)
! width="100" |2017 Population<ref name="2017CensusCities">{{cite web |title=Table – 2 Urban Localities by Population Size and their Population By Sex, Annual Growth Rate and Household Size |url=https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files//population_census/census_2017_tables/pakistan/Table02n.pdf |publisher=Pakistan Bureau of Statistics |access-date=12 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211224053543/https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files//population_census/census_2017_tables/pakistan/Table02n.pdf |archive-date=24 December 2021 |date=2021 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
! width="100" |Avg. Annual Growth Rate (1998-2017)
! width="100" |1998 Population<ref name="1951-1998Data" />
|-
 | style="text-align:left;" |[[Karachi]]
 | style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Sindh}}
 
|18,868,021
|{{Increase}}4.05%
|14,884,402
 |{{Increase}} 2.48%
|9,339,023
 
|-
 | style="text-align:left;" |[[Lahore]]
 | style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Punjab, Pakistan|name=Punjab}}
 
|13,004,135
|{{Increase}}2.65%
|11,119,985
 |{{Increase}} 4.06%
|5,209,088
 
|-
 | style="text-align:left;" |[[Faisalabad]]
 | style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Punjab, Pakistan|name=Punjab}}
 
|3,691,999
|{{Increase}}2.37%
|3,210,158
 |{{Increase}} 2.49%
|2,008,861
 
|-
 | style="text-align:left;" |[[Rawalpindi]]
 | style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Punjab, Pakistan|name=Punjab}}
 
|3,357,612
|{{Increase}}8.18%
|2,097,824
 |{{Increase}} 2.11%
|1,409,768
 
|-
 | style="text-align:left;" |[[Gujranwala]]
 | style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Punjab, Pakistan|name=Punjab}}
 
|2,668,047
|{{Increase}}3.55%
|2,028,421
 |{{Increase}} 3.11%
|1,132,509
 
|-
 | style="text-align:left;" |[[Multan]]
 | style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Punjab, Pakistan|name=Punjab}}
 |2,215,381
|{{Increase}}2.85%
|1,872,641
 |{{Increase}} 2.38%
|1,197,384
 
|-
 | style="text-align:left;" |[[Hyderabad, Sindh|Hyderabad]]
 | style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Sindh}}
 |1,921,275
|{{Increase}}1.53%
|1,733,622
 |{{Increase}} 2.10%
|1,166,894
 
|-
 | style="text-align:left;" |[[Peshawar]]
 | style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Khyber Pakhtunkhwa|name=KPK}}
 |1,905,975
|{{Decrease}}-0.55%
|1,969,823
 |{{Increase}} 3.72%
|982,816
 
|-
 | style="text-align:left;" |[[Quetta]]
 | style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Balochistan, Pakistan|name=Balochistan}}
 |1,565,546
|{{Increase}}7.79%
|999,385
 |{{Increase}} 3.04%
|565,137
 
|-
 | style="text-align:left;" |[[Islamabad]]
 | style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Islamabad|name=ICT}}
 |1,108,872
|{{Increase}}1.59%
|1,009,003
 |{{Increase}} 3.45%
|529,180
 
|-
 | style="text-align:left;" |[[Sargodha]]
 | style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Punjab, Pakistan|name=Punjab}}
 |975,886
|{{Increase}}6.81%
|658,208
 |{{Increase}} 1.92%
|458,440
 
|-
 | style="text-align:left;" |[[Sialkot]]
 | style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Punjab, Pakistan|name=Punjab}}
 |911,817
|{{Increase}}5.64%
|656,730
 |{{Increase}} 2.36%
|421,502
 
|-
 | style="text-align:left;" |[[Bahawalpur]]
 | style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Punjab, Pakistan|name=Punjab}}
 |903,795
|{{Increase}}2.88%
|762,774
 |{{Increase}} 3.34%
|408,395
 
|-
 | style="text-align:left;" |[[Jhang]]
 | style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Punjab, Pakistan|name=Punjab}}
 |606,533
|{{Increase}}6.58%
|414,309
 |{{Increase}} 1.83%
|293,366
 
|-
 | style="text-align:left;" |[[Sheikhupura]]
 | style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Punjab, Pakistan|name=Punjab}}
 |591,424
|{{Increase}}3.80%
|472,269
 |{{Increase}} 2.79%
|280,263
 
|-
 | style="text-align:left;" |[[Gujrat, Pakistan|Gujrat]]
 | style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Punjab, Pakistan|name=Punjab}}
 |574,240
|{{Increase}}6.65%
|390,758
 |{{Increase}} 2.34%
|251,792
 
|-
 | style="text-align:left;" |[[Sukkur]]
 | style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Sindh}}
 |563,851
|{{Increase}}2.02%
|500,401
 |{{Increase}} 2.12%
|335,551
 
|-
 | style="text-align:left;" |[[Larkana]]
 | style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Sindh}}
 |551,716
|{{Increase}}2.07%
|488,006
 |{{Increase}} 3.15%
|270,283
 
|-
 | style="text-align:left;"|[[Sahiwal]]
 | style="text-align:left;"|{{Flag|Punjab}}
|538,344
|{{Increase}}5,59%
|388,795
|
|
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[Okara, Pakistan|Okara]]
| style="text-align:left;"|{{Flag|Punjab, Pakistan|name=Punjab}}
|533,693
|{{Increase}}6.90%
|358,146
|
|
|-
 | style="text-align:left;" |[[Rahim Yar Khan]]
 | style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Punjab, Pakistan|name=Punjab}}
 |519,261
|{{Increase}}3.57%
|420,963
 |{{Increase}} 3.14%
|233,537
 
|-
 | style="text-align:left;" |[[Kasur]]
| style="text-align:left;" |{{Flag|Punjab, Pakistan|name=Punjab}}
|510,875
|{{Increase}}6.11%
|358,296
|
|
|}