South Asia

Pakistan

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

Muslim population96.4%of the population

Population241 millionpeople (current)

CapitalIslamabadUTC+5

Currency279 = $1Pakistani rupees (PKR) (2024)

Country basics

Pakistan is a South Asian federal republic on the Arabian Sea, bordering India, Iran and China.

Pakistan is a federation with Islamabad as its capital and Urdu and English as official languages, and the Indus river runs its length. The rupee is the currency, and textiles, rice and surgical instruments lead its export earnings.

Official name

Islamic Republic of Pakistan

Region

Asia · Southern Asia

Government

Federal parliamentary Islamic republic

Time zonesCheck the offset for your own city

UTC+05:00

Driving side

Left

Phone code

+92

Currency

Pakistani rupee (PKR, ₨)

Member of

Commonwealth; UN

Website

https://www.pakistan.gov.pk

Faith and language

Religions

Muslim 96.4%, Hindu 1.6%, Christian 1.4%; less than 1%: scheduled castes, Qadiani/Ahmadi, other, Sikh.

Languages

English; Urdu

People and cities

Population

241 million (current)

Median ageHalf the population is younger than this

23.2 years (2025)

Living in cities

38% (2023)

Largest cities

Karachi 17.236 million · Lahore 13.979 million · Faisalabad 3.711 million · Gujranwala 2.415 million · Peshawar 2.412 million

Money and cost of living

Exchange rateYearly average; check today’s rate before you budget

279 Pakistani rupees (PKR) per US dollar (2024)

Income per personGDP per person, adjusted for local prices (2021 dollars)

$5,500 (2024)

InflationHow much prices rose over the year

12.6% (2024)

Unemployment

5.5% (2024)

Spent on foodShare of an average household’s spending

37.8% (2023)

Health and daily life

Life expectancy

70.3 years (2024)

Doctors

1.16 per 1,000 people (2021)

Hospital beds

0.5 per 1,000 people (2019)

Safe drinking water

90.6% of people (2022)

Electricity

95% of people (2022)

Internet users

27% of people (2023)

Literacy

58.9% of adults (2021)

Land and climate

Climate

Mostly hot, dry desert; temperate in northwest; arctic in north

SizeSlightly more than five times the size of Georgia; slightly less than twice the size of California

881,912 sq km

Natural hazards

Frequent earthquakes, occasionally severe especially in north and west; flooding along the Indus after heavy rains (July and August)

National holiday

Pakistan Day, 23 March, also referred to as Pakistan Resolution Day (1940) or Republic Day (1956)