44% of Pakistan’s 125 million eligible voters are youth

Around 18 per cent of voters are aged between 18 and 25 years while 26 per cent fall in the 26 to 35 age group.

The data also reveals that voters between the ages of 36 and 55 constitute 36 per cent of the electorate. Those aged above 56 make up 19 per cent of the electorate, with 24 million voters.

The election regulator’s data provides valuable insights into the demographics of the electorate and underscores the importance of youth in Pakistan’s political landscape.

125 million registered voters

Pakistan’s upcoming elections will see 125.6 million eligible voters. The most populous province Punjab has the highest number of voters at 71.6 million, followed closely by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with 21.4 million voters. Sindh has 26.4 million voters, while Balochistan has 5.2 million.

There are 1.02 million eligible voters in the federal capital, Islamabad. While men make up 54 per cent of the electorate, women constitute 46 per cent of the total voters in the country.

However, the gender gap varies across provinces, with Balochistan having the highest percentage of male voters at 56 per cent, and Sindh and Punjab having the high percentage of female voters at 46 per cent.

Census count date extended till April 15

Minor changes are expected in the data, last updated on March 28, 2023, as the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) has extended the fieldwork of the first-ever digital census until April 15 to ensure complete coverage. The official statement said that over 99 per cent of census fieldwork has been completed in Punjab, 98 per cent in Sindh, 90 per cent in Islamabad, and 82 per cent in Balochistan, with the remaining work concentrated in metropolitan cities.

The census work has almost been completed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and AJK. Nearly 100 per cent of census work has been completed in 131 out of 156 districts across the country.

The PBS officials have termed the overall progress “encouraging and satisfactory,” describing it as the successful execution of the “largest South Asian digital census to date.”

However, concerns have been raised by political parties over the accuracy of the census count in Karachi, prompting PBS to suggest a re-check of the count in around 30,000 buildings with more than four stories in Karachi. The Muttahidda Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) party has accused the authorities of intentionally keeping the count of Karachi’s population lower than the actual number, warning of a protest if its concerns are not addressed.