The 2023 Census of Pakistan was the detailed enumeration of the Pakistani population and the seventh national census in the country. It was conducted by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. It was also the first ever digital census to be held in Pakistan, including the first in South Asian history. 

The census was initially held from 1 March 2023 to 1 April 2023. However, enumeration was later extended several times until 30 May 2023, because of incomplete enumeration in large cities such as Karachi, Lahore, and Faisalabad, where people are more mobile and therefore harder to count, and in remote and rural Balochistan. The extension was also used by PBS officials and census takers for quality reviews, to check if all households and people were properly counted in each area. The 2023 census recorded a total population throughout the country of 241,492,917 (excluding Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir).

Background
The Constitution of Pakistan requires that a population census be held every ten years. The results of censuses in Pakistan are used for resource allocation, sampling frames, constituency delimitation, apportionment, and for policy planning in the future.

After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, censuses were held in the years 1951, 1961, 1972 (delayed one year due to war in 1971), and 1981. However, the next censuses following were delayed until 1998 and 2017 due to politicization and instability. The 2017 census was the last census completed in the country, and recorded a total population of 213.2 million.

Most international organizations and demographers were projecting Pakistan's largest city, Karachi, to have a population between 17 million and 25 million prior to the census, but when the results of the census came back, they showed Karachi's population standing at 14.9 million. Because of this, the results of the 2017 Census were controversial and were immediately contested by the Government of Sindh and many major Sindhi political parties, namely the Pakistan People's Party, Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, and the Pak Sarzameen Party, all of which refused to accept the final results and requested a recount. They cited studies conducted by intergovernmental organizations such as UNICEF, national identity card statistics, and voter rolls to support their claim, as well as taking note of the issue that no post-enumeration survey was held after the 2017 census. The Chief Minister of Sindh Murad Ali Shah claimed that the population of Sindh stood at 61 million (above the enumerated count of 48 million)

Because of Sindhi opposition to the 2017 Census results, the publication of the final results was held back for years by the Council of Common Interests (CCI), where Sindh repeatedly expressed its objections. Finally, in April 2021, the CCI pushed through and approved the final results of the 2017 census under the condition that Pakistan would hold another census before the ten-year deadline, and the results of that census would be used for the delineation of constituencies in the 2023 general election.

By February 2022, a timetable for the conduction of the census had been prepared based around the enumeration occurring in August 2022, but in early April, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics faced a major roadblock, as a delay occurred in the procurement of equipment for the exercise. This delayed the census date by several months from the original plan, as the pilot census and training could not occur in a timely manner.

While originally, the plan was shifted for the census to occur from October 15 to November 15, another delay occurred, pushing the census to the last week of December, while the results of the census would be submitted to the Election Commission of Pakistan by March 2023. Then, in early November a further postponement of three months occurred, as fieldwork was set to begin 1 February 2023 and to end 4 March 2023. This delay was largely attributable to the devastating floods that had ravaged the country that year.

The pilot phase of the census successfully began on 20 July 2022 throughout 429 census blocks of 83 tehsils across the entire country. The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) deployed its technology to ensure accuracy, accountability, and transparency and inaugurated the software that would later be used for the census. The pilot census completed on August 3, and NADRA was directed to prepare a detailed summary to present to the Federal Minister of Planning and Development.

Design
The Planning and Development Minister of Pakistan Asad Umar has stated that the military will take charge of security but will not partake in data collection.  Pakistanis will be counted on the basis of where they lived in the last six months, on an "as is, where is basis". The exercise is also going to be Pakistan's first digital census, with Umar stating that "98 percent of the process" will be conducted digitally, and geo-fencing and GIS mapping will be used to monitor the operation.

The 2023 Census of Pakistan will involve two questionnaires: a housing questionnaire and an individual questionnaire. Each question in both forms was deliberated on and improved by a twelve-member Questionnaire committee, headed by Demographer Dr. G. M. Arif. On July 15, 2021, the committee held a meeting where they finalized both questionnaires unanimously after a comprehensive study.

On the individual form, the religion question saw an expansion. The number of religious identifications Pakistanis could go by in the 2017 census was six (Muslim, Christian, Hindu, Ahmadiyya, Scheduled Castes, and Other), but this has increased to eight as of 2023 with the addition of the Sikh and Parsi categories. This change came after significant campaigning by Pakistani Sikhs for recognition as a religion in 2017. The change also had been mandated by a Pakistani chief justice ruling in October 2018 that in the next census, a separate category for Sikhs would be provided under the religion question.

The question asking for respondents' mother tongue also saw its number of categories increase. Whereas in 2017, only ten categories were listed (Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashto, Balochi, Kashmiri, Saraiki, Hindko, Brahui, and Other), the form for the 2023 census has 14 choices. Shina, Balti, Kalasha and Kohistani are recognized in the 2023 form as valid options to select in the language question.

The nationality question also saw an improvement, going from a binary option asking respondents whether they were Pakistani or not, to giving respondents more options. The 2023 form includes five choices Pakistani, Afghan, Bangladeshi, Chinese, or other.

From December 2022 to January 2023, trainers and enumerators prepared for the census. On December 6, 2022, the training of master trainers began with an inauguration ceremony. By December 19, 2,875 trainers at the divisional level began their training and preparation across the country. Finally, on January 7, a group of 121,000 field staff at the tehsil level are expected to begin their training.

Enumeration
As of 15 April 2023, the enumerated population had reached 230.4 million - up by 8.1% from the 2017 census, or by 17.2 million people. 

Out of 156 districts, 100% work had been completed in 122 districts - while over 90% work had been completed in the remaining districts. Census work will continue in cities including Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi, while the date has also been extended in 20 more districts including Sindh’s Jacobdabad, as well as the Balochistan province. 

As of 21 April 2023, about 235.4 million people had been enumerated - up by more than 10% from the 2017 census, or by about 22.2 million people. Census enumeration was then extended again until 30th April 2023, with a pause between 21-25 April, because of the Eid holidays. Most of the remaining enumeration will focus on Karachi, Hyderabad and Quetta. 

On 28 April, the enumeration was once again extended until 15th May. Until 28th April, a total of 237,448,241 people were counted in Pakistan. 

Until 30 April, a total of 239,017,494 people had been enumerated in Pakistan:

 Punjab: 116,827,125
 Sindh: 54,858,515
 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 39,372,462
 Balochistan: 20,094,659
 Islamabad Capital Territory, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir: 7,864,733 (no individual numbers given)

The annual population growth rate between 2017 and 2023 was 1.92%, based on the enumerated population until the end of April, and is expected to rise slightly with the remaining uncounted population being added to the total. The growth rate is down from 2.38% annually between the 1998 and 2017 Census.

As of 6 May 2023, a total of 241,831,019 people have been counted all over Pakistan, or 28.6 million more than during the 2017 Census.

As of 12 May 2023, a total of 238,659,411 people have been counted (a number that includes Islamabad Capital Territory, but excludes Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir). Taking previous updates by the PBS into account, the overall population of Pakistan (incl. GB and AJK) was closing in on 245 million by that date, up from 213.2 million during the 2017 Census, or an annual growth rate of around 2.3% to 2.4%.

On 22 May 2023, the enumeration concluded all over Pakistan.

On 23 May 2023, it was announced that the total population of Pakistan was 249,566,743 (a number that includes Islamabad Capital Territory, but excludes Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir). 

 Punjab: 127,474,802
 Sindh: 57,931,907
 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 39,823,138
 Balochistan: 21,977,474
 Islamabad Capital Territory: 2,359,422

That's an increase of almost 42 million people compared to the 2017 census, or an annual growth rate of 3.1% (once again including Islamabad Capital Territory, but excluding Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir). 

(Including the 2 regions of Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, the total population would be around 256 million, even though no updated counts have been released by PBS - or up by almost 43 million from the 2017 census. The annual growth rate would remain the same at 3.1%, when the 2 regions are included.)

Several areas in the mountainous north will continue to be enumerated until 30th May 2023 because of heavy snowfall in the areas and previous security concerns. Additionally, people who have not been enumerated so far are able to call the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics call centers (0800-57574) until May 30th and still be counted. The preliminary census results will be released by the end of June 2023 and the total population could be up to 260 million people.

Results
On 5 August 2023, the Council of Common Interests (CCI) “unanimously” approved the results of the 2023 digital census. Pakistan’s population has increased to 241.49 million with an annual growth rate of 2.55%, according to the census results. The rural population is 61.18 percent of the total population in Pakistan while the urban population is 38.82 percent.

Timeline

23 February 2022: The National Census Coordination Center (N3C) was inaugurated in preparation for the census. It will monitor live census data and information.
20 July 2022: Pilot phase of census begins as information technology deployed across 429 census blocks.
3 August 2022: Pilot phase of census ends successfully.
20 February 2023: Self enumeration portal is inaugurated for citizens to fill in data by themselves online. 
1 March 2023 to May 30, 2023: more than 121,000 trained field staff are physically visiting people all over Pakistan & collecting data on their allocated tablets.
August-December 2023: release of preliminary results.

See also

Census in Pakistan
Demographics of Pakistan
Self-enumeration Portal

Notes

References

Pakistan
Census
March 2023 events in Pakistan
April 2023 events in Pakistan
2023
Demographics of Pakistan