Islamabad: As reported on May 22, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) Chief Statistician and Chief Census Commissioner Naeem Uz Zafar made a historic announcement by releasing the preliminary results of the nation’s 7th national census, which is notable for being the first-ever digital census.

During a news conference, Zafar revealed the astonishing population estimate for Pakistan, which is currently 249,566,743 people. This corresponds to an amazing 25 crores or 249.5 million in round numbers. A thorough breakdown of the population in the provinces offered additional insights:

1. The population of Punjab, the most populated province, has already surpassed 127,474,000 people. This estimate is equivalent to 127.4 million, or an astounding 12.7 crores.
2. With its dynamic people, Sindh has 57,931,000 people living in it. This is 57.9 million, or 5.7 crores when rounded off.
3. The population of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has increased, and it now numbers 39,823,000 people. This rounded number equates to 39.7 million, an astounding 3.9 Crores.
4. The province with the most people is Balochistan, with a current population of 21,977,000. When rounded off, this comes to 21.9 million, or a whopping 2.1 crores.
5. 2,359,422 people live in the booming federal capital of Islamabad. This estimate comes to an astonishing 2.3 million, or 23 lacs.

The population of Pakistan has increased significantly by 49 million people (or roughly 4.9 crores) since the last census, which is a startling growth. The Chief Census Commissioner further emphasised that the national exchequer had to pay around PKR 34 billion to implement this ground-breaking digital census.

The release of these preliminary findings represents an important turning point for Pakistan as it assesses the constantly changing dynamics of its people. To create the conditions for a flourishing future, legislation, resource allocation, and socioeconomic planning will benefit from the information obtained through this innovative digital census.