Pakistan - Geography

Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Pakistan. Controls Khyber Pass and Bolan Pass, traditional invasion routes between Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent. Mother's mean age at first birth is 22.8 years (2017/18 est.) (Note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 154 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Geographical data of Pakistan
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 references Asia
Tarrain divided into three major geographic areas: the northern highlands, the Indus River plain in the center and east, and the Balochistan Plateau in the south and west
Natural Resources arable land, extensive natural gas reserves, limited petroleum, poor quality coal, iron ore, copper, salt, limestone
Natural Hazards frequent earthquakes, occasionally severe especially in north and west; flooding along the Indus after heavy rains (July and August)
Irrigated Land 193,400 sq km (2020)
Major rivers (by length in km) Indus river mouth (shared with China [s] and India) - 3,610 km; Sutlej river mouth (shared with China [s] and India) - 1,372 km; Chenab river mouth (shared with India [s]) - 1,086 km
note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
Major aquifers Indus Basin
Land Boundaries 7,257 km
Border Countries Afghanistan 2,670 km; China 438 km; India 3,190 km; Iran 959 km
Coastline 1,046 km
Climate mostly hot, dry desert; temperate in northwest; arctic in north
Area
Total Area
Land Area 770,875 sq km
Water Area 25,220 sq km
comparative Area slightly more than five times the size of Georgia; slightly less than twice the size of California
Maritime Claims
Territorial sea 12 nm
Contiguous zone 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone 200 nm
Continental shelf 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Elevations
Highest point K2 (Mt. Godwin-Austen) 8,611 m
Lowest point Arabian Sea 0 m
Mean elevation 900 m
Land Use
Agricultural land 35.2% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land arable land: 27.6% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops permanent crops: 1.1% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture permanent pasture: 6.5% (2018 est.)
Forest 2.1% (2018 est.)
Other 62.7% (2018 est.)
Population Distribution

The Indus River and its tributaries attract most of the settlement, with Punjab province the most densely populated

People and Society

In Pakistan, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Punjabi 44.7%, Pashtun (Pathan) 15.4%, Sindhi 14.1%, Saraiki 8.4%, Muhajirs 7.6%, Baloch 3.6%, other 6.3%

Population
Pop 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.)
Health expenditure 2.8% of GDP (2020)
Physicians Density
Hospital bed Density 0.6 beds/1,000 population (2017)
Total fertility rate 3.32 children born/woman (2024 est.)
Gross reproduction rate 1.62 (2024 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate 34% (2018/19)
Est married women (ages 15-49) 63.5% (2023 est.)
Literacy age 15 and over can read and write
Education expenditures 2.4% of GDP (2021 est.)
Net Migration rate -1.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Nationality Pakistani | Pakistani(s)
Languages
Religions Muslim (official) 96.5% (Sunni 85-90%, Shia 10-15%), other (includes Christian and Hindu) 3.5% (2020 est.)
Age Structure
0-14 years 34.4% (male 44,330,669/female 42,529,007)
15-64 years 60.7% (male 78,321,834/female 74,833,003)
65 years and over 4.9% (2024 est.) (male 5,735,294/female 6,613,764)
Dependency Ratios
Total dependency ratio 70
Youth dependency ratio 62.8
Elderly dependency ratio 7.2
Potential support ratio 13.9 (2021 est.)
Median Age
Total 22.9 years (2024 est.)
Male 22.8 years
Female 23 years
Urbanization
Urban population 38% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization 2.1% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas (Pop) 17.236 million Karachi, 13.979 million Lahore, 3.711 million Faisalabad, 2.415 million Gujranwala, 2.412 million Peshawar, 1.232 million ISLAMABAD (capital) (2023).
Sex Ratio
At birth 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years 1.05 male(s)/female
65 years and over 0.87 male(s)/female
Total population 1.04 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Infant Motality
Total 51.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male 56 deaths/1,000 live births
Female 46.8 deaths/1,000 live births
Life Expectancy at birth
Total population 70.3 years (2024 est.)
Male 68.2 years
Female 72.5 years
Drinking Water Sources
Improved: urban urban: 96.5% of population
Improved: rural rural: 92.5% of population
Improved: total total: 94% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 3.5% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 7.5% of population
Unimproved: total total: 6% of population (2020 est.)
Sanitation facility acess
Improved: urban urban: 88.6% of population
Improved: rural rural: 73.2% of population
Improved: total total: 78.9% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 11.4% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 26.8% of population
Unimproved: total total: 21.1% of population (2020 est.)
Major Infectious diseases
Degree of risk high (2023)
Food or waterborne diseases bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases dengue fever, malaria, and Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever
Animal contact diseases rabies
Alcohol consumption per capita
Total 0.04 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Beer 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Spirits 0.04 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Other alcohols 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
Total 20.2% (2020 est.)
Male 33% (2020 est.)
Female 7.3% (2020 est.)
Child marriage
Women married by age 15 3.6%
Women married by age 18 18.3%
Men married by age 18 4.7% (2018 est.)
Demographic profile
All Important Facts about Pakistan

Want to know more about Pakistan? Check all different factbooks for Pakistan below.

Pakistan is found in Southern Asia