Lahore edges past Karachi in population

Pakistan's population has surged past 241 million, with a growth rate of 2.55%, according to the seventh digital census data, officially ratified on Monday by the Council of Common Interests (CCI).

According to a gazette notification of the census data, Punjab remains the most populous province of the country, with a population of 127,688,922 people; followed by Sindh having a population of 55,696,147 people.

The population of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) province has been calculated at 48,506, 095. The least population province is Balochistan with 14,894,402 people. Also 2,363,863, people live in the federal capital, the notification said.

According to the notification, the latest census data makes Pakistan home to 241,499,431 people. The national population growth rate was recorded at 2.55%, the notification added.

A provincial-wise breakdown of the data shows that the highest growth rate was recorded in Balochistan at 3.2%, followed by Islamabad’s 2.8%. Sindh’s growth rate remained at 2.57%, besides 2.53% in Punjab and 2.38% in K-P.

According to the gazette notification of the census, the rural population still outnumbers its urban compatriots. The rural population consists of 147,748,707, people, compared with the urban population of 93,750,724 people.

Among the most populous divisions, the Lahore division has the population of 22,772,710 people; followed by the Karachi division with 20,382,881 people; Peshawar division with 10,035,171 people and Quetta Division’s 4,259,163.

The digital census was conducted by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) between March 1 and May 22, 2023, while the survey-after data collection was held from July 8 to 19.

The digital census was conducted with the help of the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), the National Telecom Corporation (NTC) and the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco).

The provincial governments provided 121,000 personnel for conducting the census while the armed forces and other law-enforcement agencies ensured security for the personnel who were collecting data.

The data has been published after its approval from the CCI, during a meeting on Saturday, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the chair. all the four chief ministers were also present in the meeting.

According to the PBS, the 7th Population and Housing Census was the largest digitisation exercise in the entire South Asia. Further, it added, this was the first population count in the country which had been done digitally using tablets.

The census data helps the government to decide how to distribute funds among provinces, districts and localities. It is also used for re-appropriation of the National Assembly seats by drawing the lines of legislative districts.