In 1947 West Pakistan had a population of 32.7 million. According to 1998 census population figure rose to 138.58 million. According to the figures published by Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) on the basis of 2017 census Pakistan's population has crossed 207.68 million. Pakistan is the six most populous country of the world. Population growth ratio in Pakistan is higher than most countries of the world. Highest growth rate was recorded in the 7th and 8th decades of the twentieth century Population growth was recorded as 3.7 percent per annum in 1972 census and 3.1 percent in 1981 census. Global demographic experts believe that this growth rate is "explosive" and alarming. In 1998 population growth rate came down to 2.6 percent. According to 2013 estimates this ratio was further reduced to 1.52 percent per annum Last census was conducted in 2017, population growth rate worked out to be 2.44 percent per annum.
Regional Distribution of Population
The Punjab is the most populous province of the country. Pakistan's 53 percent population lives in the Punjab. The Punjab has a density of 535 persons per square kilo meter, 35 persons live in one square kilometer in Balochistan, 339 persons per one square kilometer in Sindh and 349 per square kilometers in KPK.
According to the UN statistics population density in Pakistan in 1961 was 61 persons per square kilometers, it has increased at a phenomenal rate. This is important to note that this population not evenly distributed in the country. Balochistan has least population density. Some areas of Sindh and Gilgit-Baltistan are also thinly populated. There is high concentration of population in agriculturally fertile and industrially developed areas of the Punjab, Sindh and KPK. In urban areas per square kilometer concentration touches very high figures i.e. from 750 to 5000. The density is even higher in cities like Lahore and Karachi.
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