Pakistan’s shocking census report: millions jobless, education crisis deepens

The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) has released detailed findings from the 7th Population and Housing Census 2023, highlighting key economic and social challenges, including unemployment, literacy rates, and migration trends.

According to the report, 18.7 million people (7.8% of the total population) are unemployed, while 11% of the working-age population (171.7 million) remain without jobs.

⇒Rising population and unemployment trends

Pakistan’s total population has surged to 241.4 million, growing at an annual rate of 2.55%.

∗The unemployment figures show:

• 6.48 million jobless individuals in the 25-40 age group
• 6.19 million unemployed between 15 and 24 years
• 3.37 million jobless in the 41-60 bracket

∗Among the working population, 66.2 million are employed, including:

• 23.1 million paid employees
• 11.1 million working in agriculture
• 13 million employed in non-agricultural sectors

Additionally, 9.78 million people work as unpaid agricultural labourers, while 5.26 million are in non-agricultural unpaid roles.

⇒Education crisis: 25 million children out of school

The census reveals a literacy rate of 61%, with male literacy at 68% and female literacy at 54%.

However, a major concern is that 25.37 million children (35.6% of those aged 5-16) are out of school, reflecting a significant educational gap.

⇒Internal migration trends

The data also documents internal migration patterns, showing 13 million people (5.4% of the population) have migrated.

∗Key migration figures include:

• 8.55 million moved within provinces
• 4.03 million relocated to different provinces
• 488,628 migrated from abroad

∗The primary reasons for migration include:

• 2.59 million for employment
• 525,000 for education
• 2.56 million due to marriage
• 5.66 million moved with family