PBS again extends census date

Census to continue until April 20 in districts showing population discrepancies

ISLAMABAD:

The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) on Saturday has yet again extended the date of the ongoing 7th Population and Housing Census in the country till April 20 for specific districts.

Besides, the population of Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh, still lacks an accurate figure as it is still less than what was counted in the 2017 census.

PBS spokesperson Muhammad Sarwar Gondal said that the population counted across the country so far was 230.4 million.

Gondal said the country’s first digital census had been completed in 122 districts of the country.

In comparison with 2017, the population had jumped up by 8.06%, Gondal continued.

The PBS spokesperson maintained that the country’s population had increased by 10.71 million against the figure recorded in 2017.

He added that the process of verification of the data in the districts where the exercise had been completed would carry on till April 20.

The spokesperson said 100% of the census had been completed in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, 99% in Punjab, 98% in Sindh, 90% in Islamabad and 82% in Balochistan.

This is the third time that the date for the census has been extended. Previously, the PBS had extended its date till April 10 and April 15.