Geography

Economics

Demographics

Military

Politics

Surface

Surface (in square kilometers)

Surface (in square miles)

Surface (water)

Water Surface (in square kilometers)

Water Surface (in square miles)

Share of water (%)

Temperature

Average temperature (in Celcius)

Average temperature (in Farenheit)

Average high temperature (in Celcius)

Average high temperature (in Farenheit)

Average low temperature (in Celcius)

Average low temperature (in Farenheit)

Rainfall

Average rainfall (mm)

Average rainfall (inch)

Distance to other capitals (kilometers)

Distance to other capitals (miles)

Proximity

Economic organizations

Gross Domestic Product (US$)

Gross Domestic Product per capita

Amount of memberships (economic organizations)

Absolute earnings for every 1$

Relative earnings

GDP in PPP per capita (in US$)

 

GDP in PPP per capita

Gross Domestic product (in million US$)

GDP per capita (in US$)

Surface GDP

GDP per square kilometer (in US$)

GDP per square mile(in US$)

Relative GDP in PPP

Population

Population density

Emigration

Immigration

Literacy

Health

Population density (in km2)

Population density (in mi2)

Religion

Christianity (share of the total population)

Islam (share of the total population)

Buddhism (share of the total population)

Hinduism (share of the total population)

Judaism (share of the total population)

Other religions (share of the total population)

Non-religious (share of the total population)

Military spending (in % of GDP)

Military spending

In total, Pakistan spends US$10.3 billion, or 3.6 percent of its GDP on its military. This represents 0.53 percent of total global military expenditure and ranks Pakistan is the 25th highest military spender in the world. 

The military of Pakistan, called to the Pakistan Armed Forces consists of an army and navy and an air force. Despite being a large non-NATO ally and supporter of the United States, it buys most of its military equipment from China.

Military membership

Pakistan is a member of six international military organizations which makes it the 56th most connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations: 

  • States with nuclear weapons 
  • Conference on Disarmament 
  • Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons 
  • Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty 
  • International Atomic Energy Agency 
  • Non-Aligned Movement 

Military membership

International wars

  • Since its independence, Pakistan has partaken in nine international wars. These are: 
  • Afghanistan–Pakistan skirmishes 1949-present 
  • Bajaur Campaign 1960-1961 
  • Indo-Pakistani War  1965-1965 
  • Bangladesh Liberation War 1971-1971 
  • Indo-Pakistani War 1971-1971 

Number of international wars fought

Military spending (in US$ million)

Membership (international political organizations)

Pakistan is a member of 16 international political organizations which makes it the 33rd most politically connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations: 

  • Member state of the United Nations 
  • International Labour Organization 
  • Asia Cooperation Dialogue 
  • South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation 
  • Colombo Plan 
  • Asian–African Legal Consultative Organization 
  • Commonwealth of Nations 
  • International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property 
  • Organization of Islamic Cooperation 

Political Membership

Democracy/dictatorship rating

Pakistan is one of the latest democracies in the world. However, aside from corruption and a high political influence of the military, a small majority of the population supports military rule. 

Democracy/Dictatorship

Since its independence, the politics of Pakistan has been dominated by political instability, corruption as well as several military coups. Over the last two decades, Pakistan has had a peaceful transition of political power. However, the military of Pakistan holds a large influence over politics. 

  • UNIDROIT 

  • Interpol 

  • Permanent Court of Arbitration 

  • Association of World Election Bodies 

  • Partners in Population and Development 

  • South Centre (organization) 

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Pakistan 

Known for its cuisine, its heritage sites as well as being located on the western part of the Himalaya, Pakistan has had a history of contention. The area was inhabited by several civilizations which mainly started from the 3rd century BC. Over the centuries, the area has been conquered by several empires including the Persian Empire, the Arab conquest, and the Mongol Empire. In the second half of the 19th century, the United Kingdom took control over India and Pakistan which were combined into the British Indian Empire. In August 1947, nearly a century later, Pakistan gained its independence from the United Kingdom and separated itself from India along religious lines. Since its independence, Pakistan has had several border skirmishes with India over the province of Kashmir, had several skirmishes with Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and became a nuclear power.

 Located on the Indian subcontinent, Pakistan is surrounded by Afghanistan to the northwest, the disputed territory of Kashmir and China to the northeast, India to the southeast, the Indian Ocean to the south and Iran to the west. Its geography is mainly made up of a high mountain range that runs along its western border with Iran and Afghanistan and ends up in the Himalayas in its northern part. The remaining territory to the east and southeast consists of low-lying hills. Most of its terrain is considered to be barren with the exception of lightly forested areas to the north and east. 

It is the 33rd largest state in the world with 917,382 square kilometers or 352,273 square miles. This makes Pakistan slightly smaller than Venezuela and slightly larger than Namibia. 

Its total water surface area is 25,346 square kilometers or 9789 square miles which is the 20th highest in the world. 

 

Below, a graph is shown which displays the absolute amount of water of each state in square kilometers and square miles.

The majority of its water comes in the form of rainfall and rivers which flow from the north through the center of Pakistan and end of in the Indian Ocean. Its largest river are the Indus and Chenab rivers which follow this path. Most of its drinking water is derived from surface water and is not considered to be safe to drink due to high levels of pollution. 

The climate of Pakistan varies per region. To the north it has a cold and temperate continental climate and slowly transforms into a tropical climate towards the southeast and a desert climate to its the southwest. The average temperature is 21.3 degrees Celsius 70.3 degrees Fahrenheit which makes Pakistan the 99th warmest state in the world. 

During summer, from June to September, the average temperature is 28.3 degrees Celsius or 82.9 degrees Fahrenheit. 

During winter, from December to February, the average temperature is 14.8 degrees Celsius or 58.6 degrees Fahrenheit. 

The majority of its rainfall occurs in October and November while spring, between March and May receives little to no rainfall. On average, Pakistan receives 46.3 centimetres or 16 inches of rainfall per year. Which is the 167th highest in the world. 

The capital of Pakistan, Islamabad, is home to approximately 800,000 people. The capital that is closest located to Islamabad is Kabul Afghanistan with a distance of 345 kilometers or 214 miles. The capital that is furthest removed from Islamabad is Santiago Chile with a distance of 16,670 kilometers or 10,356 miles. 

The economy of Pakistan is considered to be a developing economy. As a result of regular border clashes as well as high inflation levels, the economy of Pakistan has been mainly focused on the export of agricultural products alongside with the textile industry. Its agricultural products are heavily influenced by the global demand which, as a result of declining demand, has increased poverty rates over the last decade. However, its industrial sector has made large strides over the last three decades and is likely to play a larger role in the economy. Most of its exported goods are rice and textile products which are mainly exported to the United States which is solely responsible for more than 50 percent of all exports. Most of its imports comes from China which is solely responsible for nearly 25 percent of all imports. 

Pakistan is a member of 15 international economic organizations making it the 47th most connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations: 

  • Alliance for Financial Inclusion 
  • Asian Development Bank 
  • Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank 
  • International Development Law Organization 
  • International Monetary Fund 
  • Islamic Development Bank 
  • World Bank Group 
  • World Customs Organization 
  • World Trade Organization 
  • Economic Cooperation Organization 
  • Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) 

Its GDP, with more than US$281 billion, is the 45th highest in the world and represents 0.34 percent of total global GDP. 

Its GDP per surface area is US$308,086 per square kilometer or US$797,940 per square mile which is the 114th highest in the world. 

Its GDP per capita is US$1285 which is the 162nd highest in the world. 

The absolute earnings (GDP per capita) reflect the average yearly income. The figure below shows how much, on average, an inhabitant of another state earns for every $1 earned by a citizen of this state.

Its purchasing power parity per capita is US$5153 which is the 143rd highest in the world. 

The relative Gross Domestic Product in Purchasing Power Parity compares the purchasing power of this state with that of the rest of the world. The graph on the left shows how much purchasing power of 1$ compared to the purchasing power of other states

With a total population of 218.8 million people, Pakistan is the fifth most populous state in the world. Its population exists of many different ethnicities. Despite having a Muslim majority, Arab is not an official language of Pakistan. Its official languages are Urdu and English, but these are spoken by less than 10 percent of the population. The largest ethnic group are the Punjabi which represent nearly 50 percent followed by the Shindhi and the Saraiki which each represent 10 percent of the population.  

It has the 40th highest population density in the world with 239 people per square kilometer or 619 people per square mile. 

Emigration from Pakistan is just over 6.5 million people, or 2.9 percent of its population. This makes Pakistan the seventh state with the highest number of emigrants representing 2.6 percent of total global emigration. The largest recipient of Pakistani migrants has been Saudi Arabia which is solely responsible for nearly 20 percent of all migrants. 

Immigration to Pakistan is represented by 3.2 million people, or 1.43 percent of the population. This makes Pakistan the 18th state with the highest number of immigrants. Immigration to Pakistan comes almost fully from India and Afghanistan which each represent 50 percent of all immigrants. Immigration from India has been mainly done by the Muslim population that is slowly being expelled from India while immigration from Afghanistan is mainly in the form of refugees. 

Since its independence, Pakistan has increased its literacy to 57.9 percent which is the 177th highest in the world. Despite increasing its literacy rate, there have been low investments to enhance this further. Also, there is a large discrepancy between literate men and women in Pakistan due to cultural reasons. This, along with a high dropout rate, has stagnated in the literacy rate in Pakistan. 

The Pakistani health care system faces several threats that are related to its economic status, accessibility as well as the threat of natural disasters such as flooding and earthquakes. The health risks that people in Pakistan face are communicable diseases as well as noncommunicable diseases. Communicable diseases are mainly in the form of tuberculosis, malaria and hepatitis B as a result of drug use. Noncommunicable diseases are mainly related to the high smoking rates as well as malnutrition. The average life expectancy is 67.8 years with women reaching 68.9 years and men reaching 66.8 years. This is the 135th highest life expectancy in the world. 

The official state religion in Pakistan is Islam. Freedom of religion is guaranteed, but instances of discrimination have occurred. 

With 1.3 percent of the population, Christianity is the third largest religion in Pakistan that makes it the 181st most Christian state in the world. The two largest denominations are Protestantism and Catholicism which were mainly adopted under British colonial rule. 

 

On the right, the global share of Christians per state is displayed 

Islam is followed by 96.4 percent of the population which makes Pakistan the 20th most Islamic state and the second most populous Muslim state in the world. It was first introduced along its coast on the Indian Ocean by Arab merchants. After the Arab conquest in the seventh century, the majority of the population converted to Islam. The Sunni denomination is the largest denomination and represents more than 85 percent of the Muslim population. The second largest denomination is the Shiite denomination which represents more than 10 percent of the population. 

Buddhism is represented by less than 0.07 percent of the population. It was introduced around the second century BC and, alongside with Hinduism, has been the dominant religion until the eighth century after the Arab conquest. 

Hinduism is the second largest religion in Pakistan and is represented by 1.88 percent of the population. This percentage used to be higher when Pakistan was part of the British Empire. After its independence, many Hindus moved to India due to political and religious reasons. 

Less than 300 Jews reside within Pakistan. This number used to be more than 1000 since its independence, but after the foundation of Israel, many Jews have emigrated. 

Approximately 0.08 percent of the population adheres to other religions. These are mainly adherence to Jainism, which is known as the oldest religion in the world and is related to Indian religions. 

Irreligion is represented by 0.04 percent of the population. These are mainly young people within Pakistan. However, due to social stigma, atheism is looked down upon and atheists face discrimination by the Pakistani society.