Map of Pakistan | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: The Indus Valley civilization one of the oldest in the world and dating back at least 5,000 years spread over much of what is presently Pakistan. During the second millennium B.C. remnants of this culture fused with the migrating Indo-Aryan peoples. The area underwent successive invasions in subsequent centuries from the Persians Greeks Scythians Arabs (who brought Islam) Afghans and Turks. The Mughal Empire flourished in the 16th and 17th centuries; the British came to dominate the region in the 18th century. The separation in 1947 of British India into the Muslim state of Pakistan (with West and East sections) and largely Hindu India was never satisfactorily resolved and India and Pakistan fought two wars - in 1947-48 and 1965 - over the disputed Kashmir territory. A third war between these countries in 1971 - in which India capitalized on Islamabad's marginalization of Bengalis in Pakistani politics - resulted in East Pakistan becoming the separate nation of Bangladesh. In response to Indian nuclear weapons testing Pakistan conducted its own tests in 1998. India-Pakistan relations have been rocky since the November 2008 Mumbai attacks but both countries are taking small steps to put relations back on track. In February 2008 Pakistan held parliamentary elections and in September 2008 after the resignation of former President MUSHARRAF elected Asif Ali ZARDARI to the presidency. Pakistani government and military leaders are struggling to control domestic insurgents many of whom are located in the tribal areas adjacent to the border with Afghanistan. In January 2012 Pakistan assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2012-13 term.


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Location: Southern Asia bordering the Arabian Sea between India on the east and Iran and Afghanistan on the west and China in the north

Geographic coordinates: 30 00 N 70 00 E

Map reference

Area
Rank: 36
Land: 770,875 km²
Water: 25,220 km²
Comparative: slightly less than twice the size of California

Land boundaries
Border countries: (4) Afghanistan 2,430 km; China 523 km; India 2,912 km; Iran 909 km

Coastline: 1046 km

Maritime claims
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Climate: mostly hot dry desert; temperate in northwest; arctic in north

Terrain: flat Indus plain in east; mountains in north and northwest; Balochistan plateau in west

Elevation
Extremes highest point: K2 (Mt. Godwin-Austen) 8,611 m

Natural resources: land extensive natural gas reserves limited petroleum poor quality coal iron ore copper salt limestone

Land use
Permanent crops: 1.05%
Other: 72.93% (2011)

Irrigated land: 199,900 km² (2008)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources: 246.8 km³ (2011)

Natural hazards: frequent earthquakes occasionally severe especially in north and west; flooding along the Indus after heavy rains (July and August)

Geography
Note: controls Khyber Pass and Bolan Pass traditional invasion routes between Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent


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Population: 193,238,868 (July 2013 est.)
Rank: 7
Growth rate: 1.52% (2013 est.)
Growth rate rank: 78
Below poverty line: 22.3% (FY05/06 est.)

Nationality
Adjective: Pakistani

Ethnic groups: Punjabi 44.68% Pashtun (Pathan) 15.42% Sindhi 14.1% Sariaki 8.38% Muhajirs 7.57% Balochi 3.57% other 6.28%

Languages: Punjabi 48% Sindhi 12% Saraiki (a Punjabi variant) 10% Pashtu 8% Urdu (official) 8% Balochi 3% Hindko 2% Brahui 1% English (official; lingua franca of Pakistani elite and most government ministries) Burushaski and other 8%

Religions: Muslim (official) 96.4% (Sunni 85-90% Shia 10-15%) other (includes Christian and Hindu) 3.6% (2010 est.)

Demographic profile

Age structure
15-24 years: 21.6% (male 21,560,699/female 20,223,691)
25-54 years: 35.1% (male 35,272,193/female 32,587,417)
55-64 years: 5% (male 4,767,260/female 4,832,047)
65 years and over: 4.3% (male 3,877,418/female 4,375,636) (2013 est.)

Dependency ratios
Youth dependency ratio: 54.7 %
Elderly dependency ratio: 7.1 %
Potential support ratio: 14.1 (2013)

Median age
Male: 22.2 years
Female: 22.3 years (2013 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.52% (2013 est.)
Rank: 78

Birth rate: 23.76 births/1000 population (2013 est.)
Rank: 69

Death rate: 6.69 deaths/1000 population (2013 est.)
Rank: 143

Net migration rate: -1.84 migrant(s)/1000 population (2013 est.)
Rank: 160

Population distribution

Urbanization
Rate of urbanization: 2.68% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: Karachi 13.125 million; Lahore 7.132 million; Faisalabad 2.849 million; Rawalpindi 2.026 million; ISLAMABAD (capital) 832,000 (2009)

Environment
Current issues: water pollution from raw sewage industrial wastes and agricultural runoff; limited natural freshwater resources; most of the population does not have access to potable water; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification
International agreements signed but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 1.08 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2013 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 22.7 (2007 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Rank: 25
Male: 62.56 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 55.97 deaths/1000 live births (2013 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Rank: 167
Male: 64.84 years
Female: 68.66 years (2013 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.96 children born/woman (2013 est.)
Rank: 62

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 27% (2007/08)

Drinking water source:

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 0.81 physicians/1000 population (2009)

Hospital bed density: 0.6 beds/1000 population (2010)

Sanitation facility access:

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2009 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 154
People living with hivaids: 98,000 (2009 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 42
Deaths: 5,800 (2009 est.)
Deaths rank: 35

Major infectious diseases
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea hepatitis A and E and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria
Animal contact disease: rabies

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 5.5% (2008)
Rank: 153

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 30.9% (2011)
Rank: 14

Education expenditures: 2.4% of GDP (2010)
Rank: 161

Literacy
Total population: 54.9%
Male: 68.6%
Female: 40.3% (2009 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Male: 8 years
Female: 7 years (2011)

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional short form: Pakistan
Local long form: Jamhuryat Islami Pakistan
Local short form: Pakistan
Former: West Pakistan

Government type: federal republic

Capital
Geographic coordinates: 33 41 N 73 03 E
Time difference: UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions: 4 provinces 1 territory* and 1 capital territory**; Balochistan Federally Administered Tribal Areas* Islamabad Capital Territory** Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly North-West Frontier Province) Punjab Sindh

Dependent areas

Independence: 14 August 1947 (from British India)

National holiday: Pakistan Day (also referred to as Pakistan Resolution Day or Republic Day) 23 March (1940); note - commemorates both the adoption of the Lahore Resolution by the All-India Muslim League during its 22-24 March 1940 session which called for the creation of independent Muslim states and the adoption of the first constitution of Pakistan during the transition to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on 23 March 1956

Constitution: several previous; latest endorsed 12 April 1973 passed 19 April 1973 entered into force 14 August 1973 (suspended and restored several times); amended many times last in 2012 (2012)

Legal system: common law system with Islamic law influence

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; non-party state to the ICCt

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal; note - there are joint electorates and reserved parliamentary seats for women and non-Muslims

Executive branch
Head of government: Prime Minister Mohammad Nawaz SHARIF (since 5 June 2013)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president upon the advice of the prime minister
Elections: president elected by secret ballot through an Electoral College comprising the members of the Senate National Assembly and provincial assemblies for a five-year term; election last held on 9 September 2013 (next to be held in 2018); prime minister selected by the National Assembly
Election results: Mamnoon HUSSAIN elected president; Mamnoon HUSSAIN 432 votes Wajihuddin AHMED 77 votes

Legislative branch: bicameral parliament or Majlis-e-Shoora consists of the Senate (104 seats; members indirectly elected by provincial assemblies and the territories' representatives in the National Assembly to serve six-year terms; one half are elected every three years) and the National Assembly (342 seats; 272 members elected by popular vote; 60 seats reserved for women; 10 seats reserved for non-Muslims; members serve five-year terms)
Elections: Senate - last held on 2 March 2012 (next to be held in March 2015); National Assembly - last held on 11 May 2013 (next to be held in 2018)
Election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PPPP 41 PML-N 14 ANP 12 JUI-F 7 MQM 7 PML-Q 5 BNP-A 4 NPP 1 PML-F 1 independents 12; National Assembly - percent of votes by party - NA; seats by party as of June 2013) - PML-N 126 PPPP 31 PTI 28 MQM 18 JUI-F 10 PML-F 5 other 22 independents 25 unfilled seats 7; 60 seats reserved for women 10 seats reserved for non-Muslims

Judicial branch
Judge selection and term of office: justices nominated by an 8-member Majlis-e-Shoora (parliamentary) Committee upon the recommendation of the Judicial Commission (a 9-member body of several judges and other judicial professionals) and appointed by the president of Pakistan; justices can serve until age 65
Subordinate courts: High Courts; Federal Shariat Court; provincial and district civil and criminal courts; specialized courts for issues such as taxation banking customs etc.

Political parties and leaders:

International organization participation: ADB ARF ASEAN (dialogue partner) C CICA CP D-8 ECO FAO G-11 G-24 G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC (national committees) ICRM IDA IDB IFAD IFC IFRCS IHO ILO IMF IMO IMSO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO ITSO ITU ITUC (NGOs) LAIA (observer) MIGA MINURSO MONUSCO NAM OAS (observer) OIC OPCW PCA SAARC SACEP SCO (observer) UN UNAMID UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO UNISFA UNMIL UNMIT UNOCI UNSC (temporary) UNWTO UPU WCO WFTU (NGOs) WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chancery: 3,517 International Court Washington DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 243-6,500
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 686-1534
In the us consulate general: Chicago Houston Los Angeles New York Sunnyvale (CA)
In the us consulate: Chicago Houston
From the us embassy: Diplomatic Enclave Ramna 5 Islamabad
From the us mailing address: 8,100 Islamabad Pl. Washington DC 20,521-8,100
From the us telephone: [92] (51) 208-0000
From the us FAX: [92] (51) 227-6,427
From the us consulate general: Karachi
From the us consulate: Lahore Peshawar

Flag description: green with a vertical white band (symbolizing the role of religious minorities) on the hoist side; a large white crescent and star are centered in the green field; the crescent star and color green are traditional symbols of Islam

National symbols: star and crescent

National anthem
Lyrics and music: Abu-Al-Asar Hafeez JULLANDHURI/Ahmed Ghulamali CHAGLA

National heritage


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Economy overview: Decades of internal political disputes and low levels of foreign investment have led to slow growth and underdevelopment in Pakistan. Agriculture accounts for more than one-fifth of output and two-fifths of employment. Textiles account for most of Pakistan's export earnings and Pakistan's failure to expand a viable export base for other manufactures has left the country vulnerable to shifts in world demand. Official unemployment is under 6% but this fails to capture the true picture because much of the economy is informal and underemployment remains high. Over the past few years low growth and high inflation led by a spurt in food prices have increased the amount of poverty - the UN Human Development Report estimated poverty in 2011 at almost 50% of the population. Inflation has worsened the situation climbing from 7.7% in 2007 to almost 12% for 2011 before declining to 10% in 2012. As a result of political and economic instability the Pakistani rupee has depreciated more than 40% since 2007. The government agreed to an International Monetary Fund Standby Arrangement in November 2008 in response to a balance of payments crisis. Although the economy has stabilized since the crisis it has failed to recover. Foreign investment has not returned due to investor concerns related to governance energy security and a slow-down in the global economy. Remittances from overseas workers averaging about $1 billion a month since March 2011 remain a bright spot for Pakistan. However after a small current account surplus in fiscal year 2011 (July 2010/June 2011) Pakistan's current account turned to deficit in fiscal year 2012 spurred by higher prices for imported oil and lower prices for exported cotton. Pakistan remains stuck in a low-income low-growth trap with growth averaging about 3% per year from 2008 to 2012. Pakistan must address long standing issues related to government revenues and energy production in order to spur the amount of economic growth that will be necessary to employ its growing and rapidly urbanizing population more than half of which is under 22. Other long term challenges include expanding investment in education and healthcare adapting to the effects of climate change and natural disasters and reducing dependence on foreign donors.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 27

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 81

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 175

Gross national saving:
Rank: 111

Gdp composition by end use
Government consumption: 10.5%
Investment in fixed capital: 13.3%
Investment in inventories: 1.6%
Exports of goods and services: 12.3%
Imports of goods and services: -20.3%: (2012 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Industry: 22%
Services: 53.6% (2012 est.)

Agriculture products: cotton wheat rice sugarcane fruits vegetables; milk beef mutton eggs

Industries: textiles and apparel food processing pharmaceuticals construction materials paper products fertilizer shrimp

Industrial production growth rate: 2.7% (2012 est.)
Rank: 93

Labor force: 59.21 million
Rank: 10
By occupation industry: 20.7%
By occupation services: 34.2% (2010 est.)

Unemployment rate: 6% (2011 est.)
Rank: 62

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 22.3% (FY05/06 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Highest 10: 39.3% (FY07/08)

Distribution of family income gini index: 41 (FY98/99)
Rank: 113

Budget
Expenditures: $42.15 billion (2012 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -6.6% of GDP (2012 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 184

Taxes and other revenues: 12.4% of GDP (2012 est.)
Rank: 202

Public debt: 48.7% of GDP (2011 est.)
Rank: 59

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June

Inflation rate consumer prices: 11.9% (2011 est.)
Rank: 199

Central bank discount rate: 14% (31 December 2010 est.)
Rank: 13

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 14.12% (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 55

Stock of narrow money: $56.34 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 44

Stock of broad money: $71.36 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
Rank: 58

Stock of domestic credit: $86.76 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 52

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 55

Current account balance: $-2.234 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 143

Exports: $26.31 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 71
Commodities: textiles (garments bed linen cotton cloth yarn) rice leather goods sports goods chemicals manufactures carpets and rugs
Partners: US 13.6% China 11.1% UAE 8.5% Afghanistan 7.8% (2012)

Imports: $38.85 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 60
Commodities: petroleum petroleum products machinery plastics transportation equipment edible oils paper and paperboard iron and steel tea
Partners: China 19.7% Saudi Arabia 12.3% UAE 12.1% Kuwait 6.3% (2012)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $18.09 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 69

Debt external: $60.18 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 60

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $21.88 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 68

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $1.432 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 76

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Production: 94.65 billion kWh (2011 est.)
Production rank: 35
Consumption: 70.1 billion kWh (2011 est.)
Consumption rank: 38
Exports: 0 kWh (2012 est.)
Exports rank: 117
Imports: 0 kWh (2012 est.)
Imports rank: 120
Installed generating capacity: 22.27 million kW (2010 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 36
Generation sources fossil fuels: 68.3% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 112
Generation sources nuclear: 2.1% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 27
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 29.6% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 79
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 111

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 61,660 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 59
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 168
Crude oil imports: 151,200 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 41
Crude oil proven reserves: 247.5 million bbl (1 January 2013 es)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 56

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 210,100 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products production rank: 54
Products consumption: 426,700 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Products consumption rank: 34
Products exports: 34,660 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products exports rank: 68
Products imports: 227,100 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products imports rank: 25

Natural gas
Production: 39.15 billion m³ (2011 est.)
Production rank: 24
Consumption: 42.9 billion m³ (2011 est.)
Consumption rank: 23
Exports: 0 m³ (2011 est.)
Exports rank: 163
Imports: 0 m³ (2011 est.)
Imports rank: 116
Proven reserves: 679.6 billion m³ (1 January 2013 es)
Proven reserves rank: 31

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 139.7 million Mt (2011 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 34

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 5.803 million (2012)
Main lines in use rank: 29
Mobile cellular: 125 million (2013)
Mobile cellular rank: 9

Telephone system
Domestic: mobile-cellular subscribership has skyrocketed exceeding 110 million by the end of 2011 up from only about 300,000 in 2000; more than 90 percent of Pakistanis live within areas that have cell phone coverage and more than half of all Pakistanis have access to a cell phone; fiber systems are being constructed throughout the country to aid in network growth; fixed line availability has risen only marginally over the same period and there are still difficulties getting fixed-line service to rural areas
International: country code - 92; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-3 and SEA-ME-WE-4 submarine cable systems that provide links to Asia the Middle East and Europe; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean); 3 operational international gateway exchanges (1 at Karachi and 2 at Islamabad); microwave radio relay to neighboring countries (2011)

Broadcast media: media is government regulated; 1 dominant state-owned TV broadcaster Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV) operates a network consisting of 5 channels; private TV broadcasters are permitted; to date 69 foreign satellite channels are operational; the state-owned radio network operates more than 40 stations; nearly 100 commercially licensed privately owned radio stations provide programming mostly limited to music and talk shows (2007)

Internet
Country code: .pk
Hosts: 365,813 (2012)
Hosts rank: 57
Users: 20.431 million (2009)
Users rank: 20

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures: 3.1% of GDP (2012)
Rank: 38

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 16-23 years of age for voluntary military service; soldiers cannot be deployed for combat until age 18; the Pakistani Air Force and Pakistani Navy have inducted their first female pilots and sailors; the Pakistan Air Force recruits aviation technicians at age 15; service obligation (Navy) 10-18 years; retirement required after 18-30 years service or age 40-52 (2012)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 151 (2013)
Rank: 37
With paved runways over 3047 m: 15
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 20
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 43
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 20
With paved runways under 914 m: 10 (2013)
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 9
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 9
With unpaved runways: 24 (2013)

Heliports: 23 (2013)

Pipelines: gas 12,646 km; oil 2,576 km; refined products 1087 km (2013)

Railways
Rank: 27
Broad gauge: 7,479 km 1.676-m gauge (293 km electrified)
Narrow gauge: 312 km 1.000-m gauge (2007)

Roadways
Rank: 20
Paved: 189,218 km (includes 708 km of expressways)
Unpaved: 73,038 km (2010)

Waterways

Merchant marine
Rank: 110
By type: bulk carrier 5 cargo 3 petroleum tanker 3
Registered in other countries: 11 (Comoros 5 Marshall Islands 1 Moldova 1 Panama 3 Saint Kitts and Nevis 1) (2010)

Ports and terminals: Karachi Port Muhammad Bin Qasim


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Disputes international: various talks and confidence-building measures cautiously have begun to defuse tensions over Kashmir particularly since the October 2005 earthquake in the region; Kashmir nevertheless remains the site of the world's largest and most militarized territorial dispute with portions under the de facto administration of China (Aksai Chin) India (Jammu and Kashmir) and Pakistan (Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas); UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan has maintained a small group of peacekeepers since 1949; India does not recognize Pakistan's ceding historic Kashmir lands to China in 1964; India and Pakistan have maintained their 2004 cease-fire in Kashmir and initiated discussions on defusing the armed standoff in the Siachen glacier region; Pakistan protests India's fencing the highly militarized Line of Control and construction of the Baglihar Dam on the Chenab River in Jammu and Kashmir which is part of the larger dispute on water sharing of the Indus River and its tributaries; to defuse tensions and prepare for discussions on a maritime boundary India and Pakistan seek technical resolution of the disputed boundary in Sir Creek estuary at the mouth of the Rann of Kutch in the Arabian Sea; Pakistani maps continue to show the Junagadh claim in India's Gujarat State; by 2005 Pakistan with UN assistance repatriated 2.3 million Afghan refugees leaving slightly more than a million many of whom remain at their own choosing; Pakistan has sent troops across and built fences along some remote tribal areas of its treaty-defined Durand Line border with Afghanistan which serve as bases for foreign terrorists and other illegal activities; Afghan Coalition and Pakistan military meet periodically to clarify the alignment of the boundary on the ground and on maps

Refugees and internally displaced persons
IDPs: 758,000 (primarily includes IDPs who remain displaced by conflict in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Khyber-Paktunkwa Province that peaked in 2009) (2013)

Illicit drugs: significant transit area for Afghan drugs including heroin opium morphine and hashish bound for Iran Western markets the Gulf States Africa and Asia; financial crimes related to drug trafficking terrorism corruption and smuggling remain problems; opium poppy cultivation estimated to be 2,300 hectares in 2007 with 600 of those hectares eradicated; federal and provincial authorities continue to conduct anti-poppy campaigns that utilizes forced eradication fines and arrests