Pakistan’s population has crossed an estimated 257 million at midyear, placing it among the world’s most populous nations even as its fertility and growth rates continue to decline, according to a report released by the US Census Bureau.
Demographic databases, including projections by the US Census Bureau and the United Nations, show Pakistan’s population density at 333 persons per square kilometre, underscoring the scale of pressure on land and public services.
The data depict a country facing one of the most complex population transitions in South Asia — caught between rapid numerical expansion and slow human-development gains.
Despite decades of policy debate, Pakistan is still adding millions of people each year. Its annual population growth rate stands at 1.82 per cent, lower than in previous decades but high enough to keep total numbers rising steeply for at least another generation, the report said,
It added that the total fertility rate (TFR) — the average number of births per woman — has fallen to 3.25, yet remains well above the replacement level of 2.1, ensuring continued expansion through what demographers describe as population momentum.
At the same time, social indicators remain weak. Life expectancy at birth is estimated at 60.5 years, among the lowest in the region, while the under-five mortality rate stands at nearly 65 deaths per 1,000 live births, reflecting persistent shortcomings in maternal health, child nutrition, disease prevention and primary healthcare access, per the report.
