In 2023, the annual population growth in Pakistan was 1.55 percent. Between 1961 and 2023, the figure dropped by 1.07 percentage points, though the decline followed an uneven course rather than a steady trajectory.

OverviewThis feature layer shows population change compared to pre-crisis baseline in Pakistan on a daily basis for all level 2 administrative units of Pakistan. The layer has time enabled to show the change from 2022-08-13 to the latest date when population change data harvested by Data for Good at Meta is available.Population maps provided by Data for Good at Meta are generated based on users of Facebook. For more information about the disaster population maps provided by Data for Good at Meta, please refer to this link.Default data visualizationA divergent color ramp was employed to create a choropleth map for % population change compared to the pre-crisis baseline. The size of pre-crisis baseline is visualized using circles in different sizes. Each circle represents one Level 3 administrative unit in Pakistan.This feature layer contains the following metrics for mapping and analysis:Baseline population - an estimated number of Facebook users during the pre-crisis period. It is calculated as an average of 90 days before the crisis (in this case, 2022-08-14 was used as the onset of crisis).Crisis population - an estimated number of Facebook users during the crisis. Original data are provided every 8 hours.Difference in population - the difference between crisis population and the baseline populationPercent change in population - the percentage of population change from baseline to a given date during the crisisZ-score - a unitless normalized measurement to quantify the population change from baselineDate - Date of data acquisition. Original data are provided three times a day (8-hour interval). We calculated a daily average using all three timestamps available for each day. Users can filter by Date to create a subset showing the population change on a selected dateMethod of data preparationRemove data points without a valid baseline population or percent change in populationCalculate daily average using the three timestamps available for each dayAggregate the original point data to Level 3 administrative units of PakistanAppend all daily average level 3 administrative units data to a single file to enable time option of the layer

In 1800, the population of the area of modern-day Bangladesh was estimated to be just over 19 million, a figure which would rise steadily throughout the 19th century, reaching over 26 million by 1900. At the time, Bangladesh was the eastern part of the Bengal region in the British Raj, and had the most-concentrated Muslim population in the subcontinent's east. At the turn of the 20th century, the British colonial administration believed that east Bengal was economically lagging behind the west, and Bengal was partitioned in 1905 as a means of improving the region's development. East Bengal then became the only Muslim-majority state in the eastern Raj, which led to socioeconomic tensions between the Hindu upper classes and the general population. Bengal Famine During the Second World War, over 2.5 million men from across the British Raj enlisted in the British Army and their involvement was fundamental to the war effort. The war, however, had devastating consequences for the Bengal region, as the famine of 1943-1944 resulted in the deaths of up to three million people (with over two thirds thought to have been in the east) due to starvation and malnutrition-related disease. As the population boomed in the 1930s, East Bengal's mismanaged and underdeveloped agricultural sector could not sustain this growth; by 1942, food shortages spread across the region, millions began migrating in search of food and work, and colonial mismanagement exacerbated this further. On the brink of famine in early-1943, authorities in India called for aid and permission to redirect their own resources from the war effort to combat the famine, however these were mostly rejected by authorities in London. While the exact extent of each of these factors on causing the famine remains a topic of debate, the general consensus is that the British War Cabinet's refusal to send food or aid was the most decisive. Food shortages did not dissipate until late 1943, however famine deaths persisted for another year. Partition to independence Following the war, the movement for Indian independence reached its final stages as the process of British decolonization began. Unrest between the Raj's Muslim and Hindu populations led to the creation of two separate states in1947; the Muslim-majority regions became East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) and West Pakistan (now Pakistan), separated by the Hindu-majority India. Although East Pakistan's population was larger, power lay with the military in the west, and authorities grew increasingly suppressive and neglectful of the eastern province in the following years. This reached a tipping point when authorities failed to respond adequately to the Bhola cyclone in 1970, which claimed over half a million lives in the Bengal region, and again when they failed to respect the results of the 1970 election, in which the Bengal party Awami League won the majority of seats. Bangladeshi independence was claimed the following March, leading to a brutal war between East and West Pakistan that claimed between 1.5 and three million deaths in just nine months. The war also saw over half of the country displaced, widespread atrocities, and the systematic rape of hundreds of thousands of women. As the war spilled over into India, their forces joined on the side of Bangladesh, and Pakistan was defeated two weeks later. An additional famine in 1974 claimed the lives of several hundred thousand people, meaning that the early 1970s was one of the most devastating periods in the country's history. Independent Bangladesh In the first decades of independence, Bangladesh's political hierarchy was particularly unstable and two of its presidents were assassinated in military coups. Since transitioning to parliamentary democracy in the 1990s, things have become comparatively stable, although political turmoil, violence, and corruption are persistent challenges. As Bangladesh continues to modernize and industrialize, living standards have increased and individual wealth has risen. Service industries have emerged to facilitate the demands of Bangladesh's developing economy, while manufacturing industries, particularly textiles, remain strong. Declining fertility rates have seen natural population growth fall in recent years, although the influx of Myanmar's Rohingya population due to the displacement crisis has seen upwards of one million refugees arrive in the country since 2017. In 2020, it is estimated that Bangladesh has a population of approximately 165 million people.

In 2025, India overtook China as the world's most populous country and now has almost 1.46 billion people. China now has the second-largest population in the world, still with just over 1.4 billion inhabitants, however, its population went into decline in 2023. Global population As of 2025, the world's population stands at almost 8.2 billion people and is expected to reach around 10.3 billion people in the 2080s, when it will then go into decline. Due to improved healthcare, sanitation, and general living conditions, the global population continues to increase; mortality rates (particularly among infants and children) are decreasing and the median age of the world population has steadily increased for decades. As for the average life expectancy in industrial and developing countries, the gap has narrowed significantly since the mid-20th century. Asia is the most populous continent on Earth; 11 of the 20 largest countries are located there. It leads the ranking of the global population by continent by far, reporting four times as many inhabitants as Africa. The Demographic Transition The population explosion over the past two centuries is part of a phenomenon known as the demographic transition. Simply put, this transition results from a drastic reduction in mortality, which then leads to a reduction in fertility, and increase in life expectancy; this interim period where death rates are low and birth rates are high is where this population explosion occurs, and population growth can remain high as the population ages. In today's most-developed countries, the transition generally began with industrialization in the 1800s, and growth has now stabilized as birth and mortality rates have re-balanced. Across less-developed countries, the stage of this transition varies; for example, China is at a later stage than India, which accounts for the change in which country is more populous - understanding the demographic transition can help understand the reason why China's population is now going into decline. The least-developed region is Sub-Saharan Africa, where fertility rates remain close to pre-industrial levels in some countries. As these countries transition, they will undergo significant rates of population growth.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) is one of the least-developed and crisis-prone provinces in Pakistan. Located in far north of the country, the province covers 10 percent of the total land area and is a home to 13 percent of the country's population spread over seven administrative districts. Majority of the population (83 percent) is rural, averaging 7.6 members per household-well above the national average of 6.6. The literacy rate remains low at 49 percent with more than half of population having no access to tap water while unemployment runs at 8.5 percent. KP's relative underperformance is primarily due to low levels of growth, socio-economic underdevelopment and lack of public services compared to other provinces of Pakistan. Cognizant of the challenges to growth in KP and acting upon the assessment of Pakistan Government's Post-Crisis Needs Assessment (PCNA) of the region in October 2010, the donors agreed on a harmonized approach to meet the short- and medium-term social and economic needs of KP, including the establishment of a Multi-Donor Trust Fund (MDTF). This Public Expenditure Review (PER) of KP was undertaken in partnership with the government of KP and is one of the important outcomes of PCNA funded by the MDTF. The report on Operationalization of Post Crisis Needs Assessment (OPCNA) highlighted the need for strengthening KP's public financial management (PFM) as fundamental to improving public services and therefore the quality of life in KP. The report acknowledges the strong government ownership of reform initiatives which are taken with a view of strengthening all aspects of public finances. KP adopted a comprehensive fiscal reform program in 2001-02 based on four pillars, namely: 1) enhancing resources; 2) strengthening ex-ante and ex-post PFM reforms; 3) fiscal decentralization; and 4) instituting an output-based accountability mechanism.

The "Jobless growth" of Pakistan’s economy and its acquaintances with frequent changes in different governments in power (both democratic and military regime) and its influence on economic growth persuades to conduct a qualitative analysis of the structural transformation on the disaggregated level to determine whether or not it has any connection or impact on different sectors of the economy. The fundamental objective of this study is to (a) explore how sectoral transformation has affected economic development and employment, as well as their relationships, and (b investigate how these dynamics have impacted the generation of sustainable employment in the economy. For this reason, the study takes sectoral transformation into account. The study applies the sectoral employment Elasticity technique for this objective. The results of our evaluation indicate that the economy functions better under military regimes than it does during democratic periods. The cause might be anything, but our goal is to determine the employment elasticity of Pakistan’s main political powers. As an agriculture-based economy, most of the population relies on the agriculture sector; hence, its decline highlights the need for reforms. If this sector doesn’t grow by creating additional jobs, it will lose its employment power.

This study examines the impact of leprosy on those affected by leprosy in Sindh, Pakistan, exploring their care-seeking behavior, treatment experiences, well-being, stigma and coping mechanisms. By highlighting the lived experiences of persons affected by leprosy (PAL), this study aims to inform strategies that address not only the biological aspects of leprosy, but also the social and psychological challenges faced by this marginalized population. Fifteen in-depth interviews were conducted with persons affected by leprosy from Sindh, Pakistan. A combined inductive and deductive thematic analysis approach was applied inspired by the “conceptual framework of the bio-psycho-social impact and coping mechanisms of patients” by Han et al. Participants reported delays in diagnosis of up to twenty years, significantly influenced by limited awareness and socio-economic barriers. These delays increased the risk of physical disability and worsened mental health problems such as depression and anxiety, largely fueled by stigma and misinformation. While both genders experienced stigma, women were more likely to express their mental health problems, highlighting gender differences in discussing such issues. Peer support and community storytelling emerged as effective strategies to mitigate stigma, while the role of religious beliefs shaped both societal perceptions and personal coping mechanisms. The findings highlight the need for comprehensive, culturally sensitive interventions that address the bio-psycho-social challenges faced by PAL. Implementing people-centered strategies that use storytelling, community engagement and digital health tools are essential to reduce delays in diagnosis and improve the overall well-being of PAL. Further research is needed to refine these interventions and ensure that they are aligned with the needs and beliefs of those affected by leprosy.

Percentage of population under poverty bands for all three years.