Population
Details of
Population
Since Independence the population of
Pakistan has increased four-fold from 32.5 million in 1947 to 117.32 million on
January 1,1992 of which :
47,063,000 live in Punjab
19,029,000 live in Sindh
11,062,000 in NWFP
4332,000 live in Baluchistan
2,198,00 live FATA
340,000 live in Islamabad
(FATA-Federally Administered Tribal
Area)
Rate of
Population Growth
The growth of Population depends upon
the net addition of the people which is related to the behavior of three
factors, migration, birth rate and death rate.
Pakistan being a developing country
provides no attraction for the people from the other parts of the world and so
the influence of migration on its population growth is almost negligible .It is
therefore clear that the rate of population growth in the country is influenced
by the difference between the birth and death rates.
Therefore, the high rate of growth is
due to natural increase, that is, the excess of births over deaths. Pakistan
has one of the highest rates of Population growth in the World. The population
is increasing at the rate of 3.1% per annum as against 3.5% for Mexico 2.3% for
India,2% for China,1.6% for U.S.A ,2% for Asia and Africa ,1% for Europe and average
rate 1.8% for the whole world. At this speed of growth, the total population by
the year 2000 will touch 150 million.
Population
Density
Density of population refers to the
number of people living per square km. Its study is important because through
it the pressure on the land can be measured and also magnitude of the
requirements of the people can be assessed .It also becomes the base for
economic planning.
The density of population in
Pakistan, according to the 1981 census, is estimated at 106 persons per
sq.km.as against 82 persons in 1972 census. The density, however, varies widely
between provinces. The Punjab has the highest density of 230 persons, compared
to 12 persons per sq.km. for Baluchistan,135 for Sindh,148 for NWFP ,81 for
FATA and 376 for Islamabad.
Causes of
Difference in Density of Population
1.The more densely populated centers
of Pakistan are situated in the Urban areas, which are the busiest centers of
trade and commerce. Besides, so many industries have also developed around these
areas. The surrounding areas, around Lahore, Faisalabad and Gujranwala, are
very fertile. The irrigation facilities are available, so the necessities of
life can be had easily. The employment facilities in different industrial and
commercial units are also available. That is why the population of rural area
is migrating towards these Urban centers and their population is increasing
very rapidly.
2.The areas situated in the plains
are more densely populated than the mountain, regions, because the mountains
having pegged topography are not suitable for agricultural activities. Besides,
in winter, due to intense cold, snowfall is common and the mean of
transportation become ineffective the establishment of industries not possible
in these areas due to scarcity of resources. That these areas are thinly
populated.
3.In the plains ,the density if
population also differs in various regions. The areas of Punjab and Sindh there
irrigation facilities and other resources are available, density of population
is more than the dry Barani areas. Lahore, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Multan
districts are more dense than Attock, Jhelum and Dera Ghazi Khan districts. Similarly
in Sindh, Hyderabad, Larkana, Nawabshah districts are more densely populated
than Tharparkar, Thatta, Dadu and Sanghar Districts.
4.Those areas which are situated far
away and where climate is intense, irrigation facilities are not available
,rain is meager and there is scarcity of resources, even the water for drinking
purpose has to be brought from long distances, there density of population is
very low.
Birth and
Death Rates
1.Birth Rate
Birth rate in Pakistan also figures
highest in the World. In 1988 it stood at 41 per 100 persons. Factors
responsible for the high birth rate in our country are:
(i) Climatic Conditions
(ii) Poverty
(iii) Ill-Literacy
(iv) Social Convention
(v) Psychology of the people
(vi) Economic Conditions and to marry
in the early age and
(vii) Religious minded people.
2.Death Rate
Death rate in Pakistan ,particularly
of women and infants is very high. In 1988 it stood at 11 per 100 persons. It
is because of this factor that the average age in Pakistan is below 30 years.
Distribution
of Population in Pakistan
(A)Rural/Urban
Distribution
The basis of Urbanity of settlement
in Pakistan is its administrative organization (metropolitan, municipality, town
committee, cantonment, civilizations, satellite town) and size (5,000 persons
or over).Pakistan is pre-dominantly an agricultural country, in-spite of the
developments of the last more than three decades in the field of industry and
commerce. Hence, the vast majority of the population lives in rural areas.
The table below gives the percentage
of the population of Pakistan by Urban/Rural areas during the last four
censuses:
Census Year ———————–Percentage of
Population Rural
………..…………………………..’Urban……………………………………………..Rural
1951——————————17.8%—————————————-–82.2%
1961——————————22.50%—————————————-77.50%
1972——————————25.48%—————————————-74.52%
1981——————————28.28%—————————————-71.72%
Percentage figures of urban
population to the total since the beginning of regular censuses in the country,
indicate a general acceleration of growth of urban population. The rate of
natural increase of urban population has been lower than that of rural
population. The higher rate of growth of urban population is, therefore, largely
a result of rural-urban migration.
1.Dense
Population
With the passage of time, the village
autonomy and solidarity crumbled under impact of economic forces conductive to
rural urban migration. The “freedom” of the city or the availability of greater
job opportunities in the town acted as a magnet.
The process of industrialization has
involved marked shifts with the use of material and human resources. It has
altered the occupational large-scale movement of population from rural to the
urban areas.
Pakistan is essentially dry with a
large area of un-productive and barren land. For example, in the hills and
sandy wastes of Sindh and Baluchistan, the population is very sparse. By
contrast, the fertile Indus plain supports a fairly dense population. Since, with
the help of irrigation. It is possible to grow good crops there. The highest
density-over 2,000 persons per square kilometer is in Karachi division and
1,984 persons per sq.km.is found in Lahore division. This is, of course, due to
that city’s great urban, commercial and industrial development. In the same
way, other industrial districts like Faisalabad, Hyderabad, Peshawar, Rawalpindi
and Mardan are densely populated.
In most of the metropolitan centers, improvement
of facilities has called to keep pace with the rapid growth of population and
these cities can be said overgrown. The distances to be covered are long and
the means of transport and the width of the roads in adequate and these cities
are also known as city of problems or city of smoke.
The historical evolution of the
cities has been such that they have two distinct parts, the old and the modern.
The modern sections have wide roads, impressive lay-out and expensive
buildings. The old city suffers from narrow roads and alleys, closest and small
buildings and residential over crowding .Also, problems of “Katchi Abadis” are
also growing rapidly.
2.Sparsely
Populated Areas
Before the advent of canal irrigation
the population of rural areas was very sparse. After the construction of
canals, water became available to areas away from the rivers, new settlements
grew in the irrigated areas of Sindh and Punjab and there was a continuous rise
of population. On the other side ,sparsely populated areas in the country are :
(i) The Northern and Western hill
tracts
(ii) The dry plateau of Baluchistan
(iii) The desert areas of Thal, Thar
and Cholistan
In these regions, low rainfall and sol
that is either sandy or stone have resulted in barren or waste lands. For these
reasons cultivation is difficult. As a result ,the density of population is
less than 50 persons per sq.km. In the more barren regions of Kalat Division, there
are only 10 persons per sq.km. and in Chaghi and Kharan, where less than three
percent of the area is cultivated, the density falls as low as two.
(B)
Distribution of Sex
The last three population censuses
estimates and also that of 1992 are as follows:
Census Year---—-——–Total—-—-——-–Male——-—————————Female
1961————————-–42,978————-23,017——————————-19,961
1972—————————65,321————-34,840——————————–30,481
1981—————————84,253————-44,232——————————–40,021
1992—————————11,7310————61,000——————————–56,310
1972—————————65,321————-34,840——————————–30,481
1981—————————84,253————-44,232——————————–40,021
1992—————————11,7310————61,000——————————–56,310
(estimated)
(C) Distribution
By Age
According to 1981 census the
distribution of population by age is as under:
(i) Under 15 years-44.04%
(ii) 15 to 54 years-51.84%
(iii) 65 years and above-4.12%
It will be observed that people
falling in the age group (15 t 54) years may be considered working population
which is 51.84%,remaining 48.16% is the dependent population .The high degree
of dependency is due to the high proportion of children in the total
population.
(D)
Literacy-Wise Population
In Pakistan the literate people in
towns is higher than in villages. Similarly it is higher in men than in women. Ratio
of educated men and women is 23% and 7.5% respectively. Among the literate
persons in Pakistan only 3.15% have been educated upto secondary school level
or above. According to the present census report, only 20% of the workers are
educated .Only 0.40% of the total population have done their B.A Even fewer are
highly educated.
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