Population of Pakistan

Population - May 2026 253,920,208 #5 worldwide Bandera of Pakistan
Annual Growth 4,782,263 #3 worldwide
Median Age 21.4 years #189 worldwide
Life Expectancy 67.8 years #189 worldwide
Density 330.4 p/km² #43 worldwide

As of May 2026, the population of Pakistan is 253.9 million. The number of inhabitants has increased by 5 million in the last year, representing a growth of 1.91%. The median age of the population has increased in recent years, rising from 19.4 years in 2016 to 21.4 years in 2026. Currently, life expectancy at birth is 67.8 years and population density is 330.4 inhabitants per square kilometer.

Population Growth

The population growth rate of Pakistan peaked in 1980, reaching around 4.46% annually, but has since declined to approximately 1.88% in 2026. The annual increase in the number of people has also decreased from a peak of around 5.09 million in 2000 to nearly 4.78 million in 2026.

Life Expectancy

In Pakistan, life expectancy at birth has been increasing, with the indicator rising from 63.7 years in 2006 to 67.8 years in 2026, representing an increase de 4 years over the past 2 decades.

Most populous cities in Pakistan

Pakistan has multiple large cities with a significant number of inhabitants. The most populous city is Lahore, Punjab, with approximately 13 million inhabitants. It is followed by Karachi, Sindh with 11.6 million and Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with 4.8 million.

These are the 20 most populous cities in Pakistan:

# City Population
1 Lahore, Punjab 13,004,135
2 Karachi, Sindh 11,624,219
3 Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 4,758,762
4 Faisalabad, Punjab 3,800,193
5 Rawalpindi, Punjab 3,357,612
6 Gujranwala, Punjab 2,511,118
7 Multan, Punjab 2,169,915
8 Hyderabad, Sindh 1,921,275
9 Quetta, Balochistan 1,565,546
10 Bannu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 1,357,890
# City Population
11 Sargodha, Punjab 975,886
12 Sialkot, Punjab 911,817
13 Bahawalpur, Punjab 903,795
14 Dera Ismail Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 763,195
15 Muzaffarābād, Azad Kashmir 725,000
16 Battagram, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 700,000
17 Islamabad 601,600
18 Shekhupura, Punjab 591,424
19 Gujrat, Punjab 574,240
20 Sukkur, Sindh 563,851