E.g., 07/23/2026
E.g., 07/23/2026
Country Resource - Pakistan

Pakistan

PK
  • Population.............................................................................252,363,571 (2024 est.)
  • Population growth rate ...................................................................1.86% (2024 est.)
  • Birth rate....................................................25.5 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
  • Death rate....................................................5.9 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
  • Net migration rate................................-1.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
  • Ethnic groups.........................Punjabi 44.7%, Pashtun (Pathan) 15.4%, Sindhi 14.1%, Saraiki 8.4%, Muhajirs 7.6%, Baloch 3.6%, other 6.3%

CIA World Factbook

Recent Activity

People cross a bridge in the middle of a flooded city in Pakistan.

Floods and other environmental crises have caused massive displacement in Pakistan, most of this migration remaining within the country. Often, climate-displaced people go to the megacity of Karachi, where many settle permanently. This article offers perspectives from climate migrants living in several informal settlements in Karachi.

A student at a school in Yemen attended by many displaced children.

Children and youth who are displaced by climate events face unique barriers to accessing and completing school. Children comprise a disproportionately large share of the world’s forcibly displaced people, and even temporary displacement can have permanent ramifications for their education, livelihood prospects, and well-being. This article explores the connections between climate change, mobility, and education.

Image of a family in San Francisco

Nearly one-third of all immigrants in the United States come from Asia, more than any other region except Latin America. Compared to both the U.S. born and overall foreign-born population, immigrants from Asia tend to have higher levels of education and income. This article offers useful statistics about this group, which represents a growing share of the U.S. immigrant population.

A woman and child walk in the Somali region of Ethiopia.

Is climate change a major driver of migration and displacement? From where are people leaving, and where are they going? This informative primer, a Climate Migration 101 of sorts, provides answers to basic questions about climate change and migration, starting with how and where climate change triggers human movement.

 Close-up image of passport with third gender X marker

In 2022, the United States joined a growing list of countries that allow for a third gender option (the “X” marker) in passports. This article examines the introduction of the X marker, the impacts of third gender markers for transgender and nonbinary travelers and migrants as well as border management systems, and the evolving policy landscape ahead.

An Afghan refugee receives a COVID-19 vaccination in Pakistan.

Most of the world's refugees live in low-income countries where rates of COVID-19 vaccination remain low. Although refugees have been formally included in many governments’ vaccination plans, a combination of factors has made access to jabs difficult, as this article explains.

A girl in Farah province, Afghanistan.

The Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan has prompted fears of a rollback of human rights and a new refugee crisis. This article examines the prospects for possible future Afghan displacement in the region and beyond by looking at the last four decades of forced migration from Afghanistan and new factors that could determine what happens now that the U.S. military and its allies have pulled out.

Photo of India gate in Delhi, India featuring names of protestors killed in anti-Citizenship Act demonstrations

The Modi government's push for a Citizenship Amendment Act and National Register of Citizens sparked deadly riots and chilled India's 200 million Muslims, who fear being relegated to second-class citizenship—and for some, even statelessness. This article explores actions by Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, the significance of Bangladeshi illegal immigration as a driver, and what a register of citizens in Assam might mean for India.

Governments on the receiving end of migrants and refugees reinforced their commitment to returns in 2017, sending or coercing migrants to move back to impoverished or violent homelands. The Dominican Republic pushed out some 70,000 Haitians and native born of Haitian descent, while more than 500,000 Afghans left Iran and Pakistan. Though many of these migrants chose to return, in practice the line between forced and voluntary returns is blurry.

Haiti and Pakistan were an unlikely pair until 2010, when horrific natural disasters made it impossible for the world to ignore their devastation.

Cover image for The State of Global Mobility in the Aftermath of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Reports
April 2024

While human mobility globally has largely recovered from its pandemic-era drop, it is undergoing considerable change. The causes are diverse, from climate shocks and shifting economic conditions to conflict-induced displacement. This report explores how the scale and characteristics of cross-border movement are evolving post-pandemic, featuring case studies from different world regions.

Cover image for Mobility Shutdown
Reports
March 2024

Some of the strictest COVID-19 pandemic-era limits on human mobility occurred in the Asia Pacific region. Border closures started in East and Southeast Asia in early 2020 and quickly spread through the entire region, in some cases remaining in place for more than two years. This report examines the approaches countries took and reflects on the immense costs and benefits of using border measures to tackle public-health risks.

Fact Sheets
July 2014

MPI has produced profiles of 15 diaspora communities in the United States, gathering in one place key demographic data and analysis on diasporas from Bangladesh, Colombia, El Salvador, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Haiti, India, Kenya, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Vietnam. The profiles examine population size, educational attainment, household income, employment patterns, geographic distribution, and remittance volume.

cover_colombo
Policy Briefs
May 2012

This brief examines the complex issues surrounding labor migration from Colombo Process countries. It discusses the progress made—and the policy challenges that remain—with regard to creating efficient and equitable labor migration systems.