This statistic shows the biggest cities in Pakistan as of 2023. In 2023, approximately ***** million people lived in Karāchi, making it the biggest city in Pakistan.

Population in largest city in Pakistan was reported at 17648555 in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Pakistan - Population in largest city - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Context

Simple Pakistani Cities Data, with latitude, longitude, population, Province. Below is a list of 146 prominent cities in Pakistan. Each row includes a city's latitude, longitude, province and other variables of interest. This is a subset of all 140,909 places in Pakistan (and only some of the fields) that you'll find in our World Cities Database.

Source

https://simplemaps.com/data/pk-cities

Pakistan PK: Population in Largest City data was reported at 15,020,931.000 Person in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 14,650,981.000 Person for 2016. Pakistan PK: Population in Largest City data is updated yearly, averaging 6,793,799.000 Person from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 15,020,931.000 Person in 2017 and a record low of 1,853,325.000 Person in 1960. Pakistan PK: Population in Largest City data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Pakistan – Table PK.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Population in largest city is the urban population living in the country's largest metropolitan area.; ; United Nations, World Urbanization Prospects.; ;

Population in the largest city (% of urban population) in Pakistan was reported at 18.31 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Pakistan - Population in the largest city - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Pakistan PK: Population in Largest City: as % of Urban Population data was reported at 20.922 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 20.928 % for 2016. Pakistan PK: Population in Largest City: as % of Urban Population data is updated yearly, averaging 21.610 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 23.038 % in 1980 and a record low of 18.670 % in 1960. Pakistan PK: Population in Largest City: as % of Urban Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Pakistan – Table PK.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Population in largest city is the percentage of a country's urban population living in that country's largest metropolitan area.; ; United Nations, World Urbanization Prospects.; Weighted average;

This dataset is about cities in Pakistan. It has 349 rows. It features 4 columns: country, population, and region.

Chart and table of population level and growth rate for the Lahore, Pakistan metro area from 1950 to 2025.

Chart and table of population level and growth rate for the Quetta, Pakistan metro area from 1950 to 2025.

Accessibility to major cities dataset is modelled as raster-based travel time/cost analysis, computed for the 26 largest cities (>250k habitants) in the country. The following cities are included: City - Population Chiniot 278,528 Nawabshah 279,338 Mingora 331,377 Okara 358,146 Kasur 358,296 Mardan 359,024 Wah Cantonment 379,534 Sahiwal 388,795 Gujrat 390,758 Dera Ghazi Khan 397,362 Rahimyar Khan 420,963 Sheikhūpura 473,269 Larkana 488,006 Sukkur 500,401 Sialkot 656,730 Sargodha 658,208 Bahawalpur 762,774 Quetta 999,385 Hyderabad 1,733,622 Multan 1,872,641 Peshawar 1,969,823 Gujranwala 2,028,421 Rawalpindi Islamabad 3,106,827 Faisalabad 3,210,158 Lahore 11,119,985 Karachi 14,884,402 This 500m resolution raster dataset is part of FAO’s Hand-in-Hand Initiative, Geographical Information Systems - Multicriteria Decision Analysis (GIS-MCDA) aimed at the identification of value chain infrastructure sites (or optimal location).

The share of urban population in Pakistan amounted to 38.04 percent in 2023. In a steady upward trend, the share rose by 15.94 percentage points from 1960.

Chart and table of population level and growth rate for the Hyderabad, Pakistan metro area from 1950 to 2025.

This horizontal bar chart displays rural population (people) by capital city using the aggregation sum in Pakistan. The data is filtered where the date is 2021. The data is about countries per year.

Chart and table of population level and growth rate for the Karachi, Pakistan metro area from 1950 to 2025.

Comprehensive socio-economic dataset for Pakistan including population demographics, economic indicators, geographic data, and social statistics. This dataset covers key metrics such as GDP, population density, area, capital city, and regional classifications.

In 2023, the share of urban population in Pakistan remained nearly unchanged at around 38.04 percent. Nevertheless, 2023 still represents a peak in the share in Pakistan with 38.04 percent. A country's urbanization rate refers to the share of the total population living in an urban setting. International comparisons of urbanization rates may be inconsistent, due to discrepancies between definitions of what constitutes an urban center (based on population size, area, or space between dwellings, among others).

Chart and table of population level and growth rate for the Faisalabad, Pakistan metro area from 1950 to 2025.

Chart and table of population level and growth rate for the Wah, Pakistan metro area from 1950 to 2025.

Abstract

A primary objective of the national Time Use Survey in Pakistan is to account for the 24 hours time in term of the full spectrum of activities carried out during the duration. The objectives of the survey are specified as under:- - To profile the quantum and distribution of paid/unpaid work as a means to infer policy/programme implications from the perspective of gender equity. - To collect and analyze the time use pattern of the individuals in order to help draw inferences for employment and welfare programmes. - To collect and analyze the comprehensive information about the time spent by people on marketed and non-marketed economic activities covered under the 1993-SNA, non-marketed non-SNA activities within the General Production Boundary and personal care and related activities that cannot be delegated to others. - To use the data in generating more reliable estimates on work force.

Geographic coverage

The survey covers all urban and rural areas of the four provinces of Pakistan defined as such by 1998 Population Census excluding Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and certain administrative areas of NWFP. The population of geographic areas excluded from the survey constitutes about 2 percent of the total population as enumerated in 1998 Population Census. The population excluded is located in difficult terrain and its enumeration through personal interview is not possible within the given constraints of time, access and cost.

Analysis unit

Households Individuals

Universe

The universe consists of all urban and rural areas of the four provinces of Pakistan, defined as such by Population Census 1998, excluding FATA & Military Restricted Areas. The population of excluded area constitutes about 3% of the total population and is located in different terrain.

Sampling procedure

Sampling Frame Federal Bureau of Statistics has developed its own sampling frame for all urban areas of the country. Each city/town has been divided into a number of enumeration blocks. Each enumeration block consists of 200-250 households on the average with well-defined boundaries and maps. The sampling frame i.e. lists of enumeration blocks as up-dated through Economic Census 2003-04 and the lists of villages/mouzas/dehs published by Population Census Organization as a result of 1998 Population Census have been taken as sampling frame. Enumeration blocks and villages are considered as primary sampling unites (PSUs) for urban and rural domain respectively.

Stratification a) Urban Domain i) Large Sized Cities Karachi, Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Multan, Sialkot, Sargodha, Bahawapur, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Peshawar, Quetta and Islamabad are considered as large sized cities. Each of these cities constitutes a separate stratum which is further sub-stratified according to low, middle, high income groups based on the information collected in respect of each enumeration block at the time of demarcation/up-dating of urban area sampling frame. ii) Remaining urban areas After excluding the population of large sized cities from the population of respective administrative division, the remaining urban population of administrative division of four provinces is grouped together to form a stratum called other urban. Thus ex-division in remaining urban areas in the four provinces constitutes a stratum. b) Rural Domain In rural domain, each administrative district in the Punjab, Sindh and NWF Provinces is considered as independent and explicit stratum whereas, in Balochistan, each administrative division constitutes a stratum.

Sample size and its Allocation Keeping in view the resources available, a sample size of 19600 sample households has been considered appropriate to provide estimates of key characteristics at the desired level. The entire sample of households (SSUs) has been drawn from 1388 Primary Sampling Units (PSUs) out of which 652 are urban and 736 are rural. In order to control seasonal variation etc. sample has been distributed evenly over four quarters. This has facilitated to capture the variation due to any seasonal activity as urban population is more heterogeneous therefore, a higher proportion of sample size has been allocated to urban domain. Similarly NWFP and Balochistan being the smaller province, have been assigned higher proportion of sample in order to get reliable estimates. After fixing the sample size at provincial level, further distribution of sample PSUs to different strata in rural and urban domains in each province has been made proportionately.

Sample Design A three-stage stratified sample design has been adopted for the survey. Sample Selection Procedure a) Selection of Primary Sampling Unites (PSUs) Enumeration blocks in urban domain and mouzas/dehs/villages in rural domain are taken as primary sampling unites (PSUs). In the urban domain, sample PSUs from each ultimate stratum/sub-stratum is selected with probability proportional to size (PPS) method of sampling scheme. In urban domain, the number of households in enumeration block as up-dated through Economic Census 2003-04 and population of 1998 Census for each village/mouza/deh are considered as measure of size. b) Section of Secondary Sampling Units (SSUs) Households within sample PSUs are taken as secondary sampling unites (SSUs). A specified number of households i.e. 12 from each urban sample PSU and 16 from each rural sample PSU are selected with equal probability using systematic sampling technique with a random start. Different households are selected in each quarter. c) Selection of Third Stage Sampling Units i.e. Individuals/Persons (TSUs) From the sample households, individuals/persons aged 10+ years within each sample households (SSUs) have been taken as third stage sampling units (TSUs). Two individuals aged 10 years and above among the eligible individuals/persons from each sample household have been interviewed using a selection grid.The grid and selection steps are detailed on p13 of the survey report available under external resources.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

The questionnaire has been framed in the light of contemporary precedents and practices in vogue in the developing countries. The recommendations of Gender Responsive Budgeting Initiatives (GRBI) expert who visited Pakistan in June 2006 have been taken into account. Further, the advice of local experts hailing both from data producing and using agencies has also been considered. Survey Questionnaire and Manual of Instructions, for the Supervisors & Enumerators, was finalized jointly by Federal Bureau of Statistics and GRBI Project staff. The questionnaire was also pre-tested and reviewed accordingly. The questionnaire adopted for the survey is given at Annexure-A. All the households selected in the sample stand interviewed. Diary part of the questionnaire is filled-in from two respondents selected from each of the enumerated households. The questionnaire consists of the following six parts. Section-1: Identification of the area, respondents, detail of field visits and staff entrusted with supervision, editing and coding. Section-2: Detailed information about the socio-economic and demographic particulars of the selected households and individuals. Some of the important household characteristics i.e. ownership status and type of the household, earthquake damage, household items, sources of energy, drinking water, transport, health & education facilities, sources of income, monthly income, age and sex composition of the population. Section-3: Demographic detail such as age, sex, marital status, educational level, having children, employment status, source of income etc. of the selected respondent of that household Section-4: Comprised of diary to record the activities performed by the first selected respondent through the 24 hours period between 4.00 a.m. of the day preceding the day of interview and 3.00 a.m. on the day of the interview. Section-5 and 6 pertain to the second selected respondent of the selected household. The diary which is the core instrument of the time use study is divided into forty eight half-hour slots. An open ended question about the activities performed during the thirty minutes was asked from the respondent. Provision for minimum of recording three activities through half hour slot was made. In case of reporting more than one activity, the respondent was probed whether these activities were carried out simultaneously or one after the other. Similarly, the two locations of performing the activities were also investigated in the diary part of the questionnaire. The activities recorded in the diary are then coded by the field enumerator according to the activity classification given at Annex-B.

Cleaning operations

Soon after data collection, the field supervisors manually clean, edit and check the filled in questionnaire and refer back to field where necessary. This does not take much time since most of the manual editing is done in the field. Further editing is done by the subject matter section at the Headquarter. Also during data entry, further editing of error identified by applying computer edit checks is done. In edit checks, data ranges in numerical values are used to eliminate erroneous data as a result of mistakes made during coding. Thus, the survey records are edited and corrected through a series of computer processing stages.

Abstract

The Pakistan Integrated Household Survey (PIHS) was conducted jointly by the Federal Bureau of Statistics (FBS), Government of Pakistan, and the World Bank. The survey was part of the Living Standards Measurement Study (LSMS) household surveys that have been conducted in a number of developing countries with the assistance of the World Bank. The purpose of these surveys is to provide policy makers and researchers with individual, household, and community level data needed to analyze the impact of policy initiatives on living standards of households.

The Pakistan Integrated Household Survey was carried out in 1991. This nationwide survey gathered individual and household level data using a multi-purpose household questionnaire. Topics covered included housing conditions, education, health, employment characteristics, selfemployment activities, consumption, migration, fertility, credit and savings, and household energy consumption. Community level and price data were also collected during the course of the survey.

Geographic coverage

National

Analysis unit

• Households
• Individuals
• Communities

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

The sample for the PIHS was drawn using a multi-stage stratified sampling procedure from the Master Sample Frame developed by FBS based on the 1981 Population Census.

SAMPLE FRAME:

This sample frame covers all four provinces (Punjab, Sindh, NWFP, and Balochistan) and both urban and rural areas. Excluded, however, are the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, military restricted areas, the districts of Kohistan, Chitral and Malakand and protected areas of NWFP. According to the FBS, the population of the excluded areas amounts to about 4 percent of the total population of Pakistan. Also excluded are households which depend entirely on charity for their living.

The sample frame consists of three main domains: (a) the self-representing cities; (b) other urban areas; and (c) rural areas. These domains are further split up into a number of smaller strata based on the system used by the Government to divide the country into administrative units. The four provinces of Pakistan mentioned above are divided into 20 divisions altogether; each of these divisions in turn is then further split into several districts. The system used to divide the sample frame into the three domains and the various strata is as follows: (a) Self-representing cities: All cities with a population of 500,000 or more are classified as self-representing cities. These include Karachi, Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Multan, Hyderabad and Peshawar. In addition to these cities, Islamabad and Quetta are also included in this group as a result of being the national and provincial capitals respectively. Each self-representing city is considered as a separate stratum, and is further sub-stratified into low, medium, and high income groups on the basis of information collected at the time of demarcation or updating of the urban area sample frame. (b) Other urban areas: All settlements with a population of 5,000 or more at the time of the 1981 Population Census are included in this group (excluding the self-representing cities mentioned above). Urban areas in each division of the four provinces are considered to be separate strata. (c) Rural areas: Villages and communities with population less than 5,000 (at the time of the Census) are classified as rural areas. Settlements within each district of the country are considered to be separate strata with the exception of Balochistan province where, as a result of the relatively sparse population of the districts, each division instead is taken to be a stratum.

Main strata of the Master Sample frame

Domain / Punjab / Sindh / NWFP / Balochistan / PAKISTAN Self-representing cities / 6 / 2 / 1 / 1 / 10 Other urban areas / 8 / 3 / 5 / 4 / 20 Rural areas / 30 / 14 / 10 / 4 / 58 Total 44 / 19 / 16 / 9 / 88

As the above table shows, the sample frame consists of 88 strata altogether. Households in each stratum of the sample frame are exclusively and exhaustively divided into PSUs. In urban areas, each city or town is divided into a number of enumeration blocks with welldefined boundaries and maps. Each enumeration block consists of about 200-250 households, and is taken to be a separate PSU. The list of enumeration blocks is updated every five years or so, with the list used for the PIHS having been modified on the basis of the Census of Establishments conducted in 1988. In rural areas, demarcation of PSUs has been done on the basis of the list of villages/mouzas/dehs published by the Population Census Organization based on the 1981 Census. Each of these villages/mouzas/dehs is taken to be a separate PSU. Altogether, the sample frame consists of approximately 18,000 urban and 43,000 rural PSUs.

SAMPLE SELECTION:

The PIHS sample comprised 4,800 households drawn from 300 PSUs throughout the country. Sample PSUs were divided equally between urban and rural areas, with at least two PSUs selected from each of the strata. Selection of PSUs from within each stratum was carried out using the probability proportional to estimated size method. In urban areas, estimates of the size of PSUs were based on the household count as found during the 1988 Census of Establishments. In rural areas, these estimates were based on the population count during the 1981 Census.

Once sample PSUs had been identified, a listing of all households residing in the PSU was made in all those PSUs where such a listing exercise had not been undertaken recently. Using systematic sampling with a random start, a short-list of 24 households was prepared for each PSU. Sixteen households from this list were selected to be interviewed from the PSU; every third household on the list was designated as a replacement household to be interviewed only if it was not possible to interview either of the two households immediately preceding it on the list.

As a result of replacing households that could not be interviewed because of non-responses, temporary absence, and other such reasons, the actual number of households interviewed during the survey - 4,794 - was very close to the planned sample size of 4,800 households. Moreover, following a pre-determined procedure for replacing households had the added advantage of minimizing any biases that may otherwise have arisen had field teams been allowed more discretion in choosing substitute households.

SAMPLE DESIGN EFFECTS:

The three-stage stratified sampling procedure outlined above has several advantages from the point of view of survey organization and implementation. Using this procedure ensures that all regions or strata deemed important are represented in the sample drawn for the survey. Picking clusters of households or PSUs in the various strata rather than directly drawing households randomly from throughout the country greatly reduces travel time and cost. Finally, selecting a fixed number of households in each PSU makes it easier to distribute the workload evenly amongst field teams. However, in using this procedure to select the sample for the survey, two important matters need to be given consideration: (a) sampling weights or raising factors have to be first calculated to get national estimates from the survey data; and (b) the standard errors for estimates obtained from the data need to be adjusted to take account for the use of this procedure.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

The PIHS used three questionnaires: a household questionnaire, a community questionnaire, and a price questionnaire.

HOUSEHOLD QUESTIONNAIRE:

The PIHS questionnaire comprised 17 sections, each of which covered a separate aspect of household activity. The various sections of the household questionnaire were as follows: 1. HOUSEHOLD INFORMATION 2. HOUSING 3. EDUCATION 4. HEALTH 5. WAGE EMPLOYMENT 6. FAMILY LABOR 7. ENERGY 8. MIGRATION 9. FARMING AND LIVESTOCK 10. NON-FARM ENTERPRISE ACTIVITIES 11. NON-FOOD EXPENDITURES AND INVENTORY OF DURABLE GOODS 12. FOOD EXPENSES AND HOME PRODUCTION 13. MARRIAGE AND MATERNITY HISTORY 14. ANTHROPOMETRICS 15. CREDIT AND SAVINGS 16. TRANSFERS AND REMITTANCES 17. OTHER INCOME

The household questionnaire was designed to be administered in two visits to each sample household. Apart from avoiding the problem of interviewing household members in one long stretch, scheduling two visits also allowed the teams to improve the quality of the data collected.

During the first visit to the household (Round 1), the enumerators covered sections 1 to 8, and fixed a date with the designated respondents of the household for the second visit. During the second visit (Round 2), which was normally held two weeks after the first visit, the enumerators covered the remaining portion of the questionnaire and resolved any omissions or inconsistencies that were detected during data entry of information from the first part of the survey.

Since many of the sections of the questionnaire pertained specifically to female members of the household, female interviewers were included in conducting the survey. The household questionnaire was split into two parts (Male and Female). Sections such as SECTION 3: EDUCATION, which solicited information on all individual members of the household (male as well as female) were included in both parts of the questionnaire. Other sections such as SECTION 2: HOUSING and SECTION 12: FOOD EXPENSES AND HOME PRODUCTION , which collected data at the aggregate household level, were included in either the male questionnaire or the female questionnaire, depending upon which member of the household was more likely