Urban population growth in Pakistan
Pakistan: Urban population growth was 2.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Urban population growth in Pakistan, 1961–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in annual %.
Analysis
Pakistan recorded 2.5% for urban population growth in 2025.
That represents a change of up 1.5% on the previous year and up 18.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population growth in Pakistan peaked at 5.3% in 1980 and was at its lowest, 2.0%, in 2016.
That places Pakistan 57th out of 217 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Urban population growth in Pakistan, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 4.1% | — |
| 1962 | 3.9% | -4.2% |
| 1963 | 3.8% | -2.3% |
| 1964 | 3.8% | -1.4% |
| 1965 | 3.7% | -1.1% |
| 1966 | 3.7% | -0.4% |
| 1967 | 3.7% | +0.4% |
| 1968 | 3.8% | +0.5% |
| 1969 | 3.8% | +0.7% |
| 1970 | 3.8% | +1.2% |
| 1971 | 3.8% | -1.7% |
| 1972 | 3.9% | +2.3% |
| 1973 | 4.1% | +6.3% |
| 1974 | 4.2% | +3.1% |
| 1975 | 4.3% | +2.6% |
| 1976 | 4.4% | +2.3% |
| 1977 | 4.5% | +1.6% |
| 1978 | 4.5% | +0.7% |
| 1979 | 4.7% | +4.4% |
| 1980 | 5.3% | +11.2% |
| 1981 | 5.2% | -0.3% |
| 1982 | 4.8% | -9.2% |
| 1983 | 4.4% | -6.9% |
| 1984 | 4.1% | -8.1% |
| 1985 | 4.1% | +0.1% |
| 1986 | 4.3% | +4.5% |
| 1987 | 4.3% | +0.1% |
| 1988 | 4.2% | -1.7% |
| 1989 | 4.1% | -2.7% |
| 1990 | 4.1% | +1.4% |
| 1991 | 4.1% | -1.3% |
| 1992 | 3.6% | -11.3% |
| 1993 | 3.5% | -2.9% |
| 1994 | 3.6% | +3.0% |
| 1995 | 3.6% | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 3.6% | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 3.5% | -2.5% |
| 1998 | 3.4% | -2.2% |
| 1999 | 3.4% | -2.0% |
| 2000 | 3.4% | +1.9% |
| 2001 | 3.4% | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 3.0% | -11.0% |
| 2003 | 2.9% | -3.9% |
| 2004 | 3.0% | +3.4% |
| 2005 | 2.9% | -2.5% |
| 2006 | 2.9% | -0.9% |
| 2007 | 3.2% | +9.0% |
| 2008 | 3.2% | +1.3% |
| 2009 | 3.1% | -4.0% |
| 2010 | 3.0% | -1.8% |
| 2011 | 2.8% | -7.1% |
| 2012 | 2.5% | -11.0% |
| 2013 | 2.2% | -10.1% |
| 2014 | 2.1% | -4.3% |
| 2015 | 2.1% | -2.9% |
| 2016 | 2.0% | -2.9% |
| 2017 | 2.2% | +7.7% |
| 2018 | 2.5% | +14.1% |
| 2019 | 2.7% | +7.7% |
| 2020 | 2.9% | +7.6% |
| 2021 | 3.0% | +4.9% |
| 2022 | 2.9% | -3.7% |
| 2023 | 2.7% | -6.9% |
| 2024 | 2.4% | -10.5% |
| 2025 | 2.5% | +1.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3.8% | 3.7% | 4.1% | 9 |
| 1970s | 4.2% | 3.8% | 4.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.5% | 4.1% | 5.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.7% | 3.4% | 4.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.1% | 2.9% | 3.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.4% | 2.0% | 3.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.7% | 2.4% | 3.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Pakistan
More climate change data for Pakistan
- 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)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 388.43 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population growth in Pakistan?
- Urban population growth in Pakistan was 2.5% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population growth recorded in Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 5.3% in 1980.
- What is the lowest urban population growth recorded in Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.0% in 2016.
- How does Pakistan rank for urban population growth?
- Pakistan ranks 57th out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population growth rising or falling in Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Pakistan data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban 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 urban population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear urban population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank total population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects.