Population growth in Pakistan
Pakistan: Population growth was 1.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Population growth in Pakistan, 1961–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in annual %.
Analysis
In 2025, population growth in Pakistan stood at 1.6%.
That represents a change of up 3.3% on the previous year and up 11.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population growth in Pakistan peaked at 4.2% in 1981 and was at its lowest, 1.3%, in 2016.
Pakistan ranks 67th of 218 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Population growth in Pakistan, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2.6% | — |
| 1962 | 2.6% | -0.7% |
| 1963 | 2.6% | +1.9% |
| 1964 | 2.7% | +1.9% |
| 1965 | 2.7% | +1.4% |
| 1966 | 2.8% | +1.5% |
| 1967 | 2.8% | +1.6% |
| 1968 | 2.8% | +1.0% |
| 1969 | 2.9% | +0.5% |
| 1970 | 2.9% | +0.4% |
| 1971 | 2.8% | -4.2% |
| 1972 | 2.8% | +0.4% |
| 1973 | 2.9% | +5.2% |
| 1974 | 2.9% | +1.0% |
| 1975 | 3.0% | +1.7% |
| 1976 | 3.1% | +2.4% |
| 1977 | 3.1% | +2.4% |
| 1978 | 3.2% | +2.1% |
| 1979 | 3.5% | +8.1% |
| 1980 | 4.1% | +17.9% |
| 1981 | 4.2% | +2.3% |
| 1982 | 3.8% | -10.0% |
| 1983 | 3.5% | -7.9% |
| 1984 | 3.1% | -9.4% |
| 1985 | 3.2% | +1.1% |
| 1986 | 3.4% | +6.7% |
| 1987 | 3.4% | +0.9% |
| 1988 | 3.4% | -1.4% |
| 1989 | 3.3% | -2.8% |
| 1990 | 3.3% | +2.3% |
| 1991 | 3.3% | -1.1% |
| 1992 | 2.9% | -13.4% |
| 1993 | 2.8% | -3.1% |
| 1994 | 2.9% | +4.3% |
| 1995 | 2.9% | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 2.9% | +0.7% |
| 1997 | 2.8% | -2.8% |
| 1998 | 2.8% | -2.4% |
| 1999 | 2.7% | -1.4% |
| 2000 | 2.8% | +3.8% |
| 2001 | 2.8% | -1.0% |
| 2002 | 2.5% | -12.4% |
| 2003 | 2.4% | -4.0% |
| 2004 | 2.5% | +4.9% |
| 2005 | 2.4% | -2.6% |
| 2006 | 2.4% | -0.9% |
| 2007 | 2.6% | +10.9% |
| 2008 | 2.7% | +1.3% |
| 2009 | 2.5% | -5.1% |
| 2010 | 2.5% | -2.8% |
| 2011 | 2.2% | -9.5% |
| 2012 | 1.9% | -14.8% |
| 2013 | 1.6% | -14.6% |
| 2014 | 1.5% | -7.8% |
| 2015 | 1.4% | -6.5% |
| 2016 | 1.3% | -7.2% |
| 2017 | 1.4% | +8.6% |
| 2018 | 1.6% | +14.8% |
| 2019 | 1.7% | +4.2% |
| 2020 | 1.8% | +6.6% |
| 2021 | 1.9% | +4.6% |
| 2022 | 1.7% | -7.4% |
| 2023 | 1.5% | -11.4% |
| 2024 | 1.5% | -2.5% |
| 2025 | 1.6% | +3.3% |
Pakistan compared with similar countries
- Pakistan's 1.6% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.7%, 89% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Pakistan's 1.6% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 1.6%, 1.0× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.7% | 2.6% | 2.9% | 9 |
| 1970s | 3.0% | 2.8% | 3.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.5% | 3.1% | 4.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.9% | 2.7% | 3.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.6% | 2.4% | 2.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.7% | 1.3% | 2.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.7% | 1.5% | 1.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Pakistan
More climate change data for Pakistan
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 6.32 billion kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 170,790 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 34,017 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 136,773 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 128.37 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 4,885 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 48,684 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 37,808 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 10,876 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 142.67 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population growth in Pakistan?
- Population growth in Pakistan was 1.6% in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest population growth recorded in Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 4.2% in 1981.
- What is the lowest population growth recorded in Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.3% in 2016.
- How does Pakistan rank for population growth?
- Pakistan ranks 67th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population growth rising or falling in Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Pakistan data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division, published as part of Population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Annual population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.