Photo: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Reto Stöckli

Pakistan: population and ages

Pakistan: 257 million people on 1 January 2026, number 5 of 237 countries and areas by population.

The UN projects growth until at least 2100, to 511 million.

Figures for 2026 are UN projections (medium variant). Estimates end in 2023.

Population, 1 January 2026
257,236,371
Median age
20.8
Births in 2026
6,935,665
Deaths in 2026
1,664,087
Life expectancy at birth
68.1
Children per woman
3.44
Under 15
36.0%
65 and over
4.4%
Population pyramid, Pakistan, 1 January 2026MaleFemale0102030405060708090100+02M2M4M4M
Population pyramid, Pakistan, 1 January 2026 Projection

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Population over time

In mid-1950 there were 35.8 million people, so the population is now 7.2 times as large.

The UN projects 6.94 million births and 1.66 million deaths in 2026, 5.27 million more births than deaths.

More people leave than move in: net migration in 2026 is projected at minus 1.14 million.

Population, 1950 to 2100Projected from 20240200M400M600M1950197520002025205020752100
2026 Pakistan: 259.3M

Ages

The median age is 20.8, which is 10.3 years below the world’s 31.1.

36% of the people are under 15 and 4.4% are 65 or older (world: 24% and 11%).

In the UN projection, children under 15 outnumber people aged 65 and over in every year to 2100.

Women have 3.4 children on average at today’s rates (world: 2.2), against 6.8 in 1950.

Life expectancy at birth is 68.1 years, below the world’s 73.8. In 1950 it was 34.2.

Median age, 1950 to 2100Projected from 2024010203040501950197520002025205020752100WorldPakistan
2026 Pakistan: 21World: 31

See how the pyramid changes from 1950 to 2100

Births, deaths and the years ahead

For mid-2050 the UN projects 372 million people, 43% more than now, with a median age of 26.3.

Births and deaths per year, 1950 to 2100Projected from 202402M4M6M8M1950197520002025205020752100BirthsDeaths
2026 Births: 6.9MDeaths: 1.7M

Compare Pakistan with other countries

Development and urbanisation

In 2025, 47% of the people lived in cities, 42% in towns and semi-dense areas and 11% in rural areas. For 2050 the UN projects 53% in cities.

Degree of urbanisation: one rule for every country, a city has at least 50,000 people at 1,500 or more per km². National definitions of “urban” differ.

IndicatorLatest valueYear
People using the internet57.3%2024
Access to electricity95.7%2024
Adult literacy (ages 15 and over)58.9%2021
90.7%2024
71.9%2024
51.0%2024
Human Development Index0.5442023

Each value is the latest one published, with the year it refers to. Countries publish in different years. Sources: World Bank, World Development Indicators (ITU, SDG 7.1.1, UNESCO UIS), UNDP, Human Development Report, UN, World Urbanization Prospects 2025.

Longevity, ageing and the future

By the death rates of 2023, life expectancy at birth was 67.7 years. People who had reached 65 could expect 14.8 more years for women and 12.8 for men.

On 1 January 2026, there are 7.4 people aged 65 or more for every 100 aged 15 to 64. For 2050, the UN projects 9.8.

For 2100 the UN projects a population of 511 million, with a 95 percent prediction interval of 266 million to 1.02 billion.

Life expectancy at birth is a period measure. It sums up the death rates of one year and is not a forecast of how long the babies born that year will live.

Sources: World Population Prospects 2024, life tables, probabilistic projections, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).

International migrants

In mid-2024, 4.18 million international migrants lived here, 1.7% of the population.

In mid-2024, 6.92 million people from here lived in other countries.

Largest countries of origin
CountryPeople
Afghanistan1,923,453
India1,597,134
China3,568
Myanmar2,297
Iran2,148
Largest countries of destination
CountryPeople
Saudi Arabia1,937,044
United Arab Emirates932,356
India768,138
United Kingdom703,309
United States452,748

Counted by country of birth. Refugees are included. A migrant stock counts people living outside their country at mid-year, not journeys or yearly moves. Sources: International Migrant Stock 2024, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).

Cities

Cities of 50,000 people or more here, by the UN degree of urbanisation: 323.

CityPopulation 2025
Karachi21,422,590
Lahore15,156,430
Faisalabad5,566,382
Islāmābād4,860,084
Peshawar3,554,423
Gujranwala3,121,271
Multan2,956,642
Hyderabad2,863,633
Sialkot1,907,978
Mardan1,330,031

Sources: World Urbanization Prospects 2025, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).

All cities

Data and sources

Pakistan every ten years
YearPopulation (1 July)Median ageBirthsDeathsLife expectancyChildren per woman
195035,849,26017.31,645,719996,21334.26.80
196045,709,31018.02,134,315917,17744.16.80
197060,166,72017.12,652,339858,74252.96.80
198082,291,01017.13,591,364992,96257.26.73
1990116,155,57616.94,981,9011,250,17059.76.36
2000154,879,12717.05,659,4451,378,25161.95.35
2010199,239,04718.86,679,4781,532,27164.44.40
2020235,001,74619.86,726,8521,715,72465.73.77
2030276,883,25521.67,144,8991,768,67068.63.25
2040324,937,69724.07,560,1402,092,89970.02.87
2050371,863,79326.37,496,4552,482,24771.32.58
2060414,441,12028.57,492,3322,991,99272.62.37
2070451,260,26530.97,365,9783,557,23973.92.20
2080479,745,11233.27,092,8654,153,35175.32.09
2090499,173,31435.36,789,4584,714,87676.72.00
2100511,000,61837.36,456,8285,140,26478.21.93

Rows from 2024 on are UN projections (medium variant), shown in italics.

The UN estimates every country and area within its present borders for every year since 1950, also for years before it became independent or took its present shape. Figures for earlier years therefore describe the people who lived on today’s territory.

Sources: World Population Prospects 2024, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).

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