Pakistan

The Indus Valley civilization, one of the oldest in the world and dating back at least 5,000 years, spread over much of modern-day Pakistan. During the second millennium B.C., remnants of this culture fused with the migrating Indo-Aryan peoples. The area underwent successive invasions in subsequent centuries from the Persians, Greeks, Scythians, Arabs (who brought Islam), Afghans, and Turks. The Mughal Empire flourished in the 16th and 17th centuries; the British came to dominate the region in the 18th century. The partition in 1947 of British India into the Muslim state of Pakistan (with West and East sections) and largely Hindu India created lasting tension between the two countries. They have fought two wars and a limited conflict -- in 1947-48, 1965, and 1999 respectively -- over the Kashmir territory, a dispute that continues to this day. A third war in 1971 -- in which India assisted an indigenous movement reacting to Bengali marginalization in Pakistani politics -- resulted in East Pakistan becoming the separate nation of Bangladesh.

In response to Indian nuclear weapons testing, Pakistan conducted its own tests in 1998. Pakistan has been engaged in a decades-long armed conflict with militant groups, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other militant networks that target government institutions and civilians.

Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea, between India on the east and Iran and Afghanistan on the west and China in the north

30 00 N, 70 00 E

Asia

slightly more than five times the size of Georgia; slightly less than twice the size of California

1,046 km

mostly hot, dry desert; temperate in northwest; arctic in north

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

arable land, extensive natural gas reserves, limited petroleum, poor quality coal, iron ore, copper, salt, limestone

194,200 sq km (2022)

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

Indus Basin

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

frequent earthquakes, occasionally severe especially in north and west; flooding along the Indus after heavy rains (July and August)

controls Khyber Pass and Bolan Pass, traditional invasion routes between Central Asia and India

Punjabi 44.7%, Pashtun (Pathan) 15.4%, Sindhi 14.1%, Saraiki 8.4%, Muhajirs 7.6%, Baloch 3.6%, other 6.3%

Muslim 96.4%, Hindu 1.6%, Christian 1.4%; less than 1%: scheduled castes, Qadiani/Ahmadi, other, Sikh. (2020 est.)

1.82% (2025 est.)

25.05 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

5.79 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

-1.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

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

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)

22.8 years (2017/18 est.)

155 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

3.25 children born/woman (2025 est.)

1.59 (2025 est.)

1.16 physicians/1,000 population (2021)

0.5 beds/1,000 population (2019 est.)

8.6% (2016)

23.1% (2018 est.)

63.4% (2018 est.)

water pollution from raw sewage, industrial wastes, and agricultural runoff; limited natural freshwater resources; most of the population does not have access to potable water; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; air pollution and noise pollution in urban areas

mostly hot, dry desert; temperate in northwest; arctic in north

50.1 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

246.8 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

federal parliamentary republic

4 provinces, 2 Pakistan-administered areas*, and 1 capital territory**; Azad Kashmir*, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan*, Islamabad Capital Territory**, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Sindh

common law system with Islamic law influence

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; non-party state to the ICCt

18 years of age; universal

Awami National Party or ANP
Awami Muslim League or AML
Balochistan Awami Party or BAP
Balochistan National Party-Awami or BNP-A
Balochistan National Party-Mengal or BNP-M
Grand Democratic Alliance or GDA (alliance of several parties)
Hazara Democratic Party or HDP
Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party
Jamaat-e-Islami or JI
Jamhoori Wattan Party or JWP
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl or JUI-F
Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen Pakistan or MWM
Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal or MMA (alliance of several parties)
Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan or MQM-P
National Party or NP
Pakistan Muslim League or PML-Z
Pakistan Muslim League-Functional or PML-F
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz or PML-N
Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid-e-Azam or PML-Q
Pakistan Peoples Party or PPP
Pakistan Rah-e-Haq Party or PRHP
Pakistan Tehrik-e Insaaf or PTI (Pakistan Movement for Justice)
Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party or PMAP or PKMAP
Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan or TLP

ADB, AIIB, ARF, ASEAN (sectoral dialogue partner), C, CERN (associate member), CICA, CP, D-8, ECO, FAO, G-11, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINURCAT, MINURSO, MINUSCA, MONUSCO, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, PCA, SAARC, SACEP, SCO, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNISFA, UNISFA, UNMISS, UNOOSA, UNSOS, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

14 August 1947 (from British India)

Pakistan Day, 23 March, also referred to as Pakistan Resolution Day (1940) or Republic Day (1956)

description: green with a vertical white band on the left side; a large white crescent and star are centered in the green field

meaning: the crescent, star, and color green are all traditional Islamic symbols; the white band symbolizes the role of religious minorities

five-pointed star between the horns of a waxing crescent moon, jasmine

green, white

lower middle-income South Asian economy; extremely high debt; endemic corruption; regional disputes with India and Afghanistan hinder investment; falling inflation, IMF relief programs, and strong agricultural output slowly contributing to economic recovery

$373.072 billion (2024 est.)

sugarcane, bison milk, wheat, milk, rice, maize, potatoes, cotton, mangoes/guavas, chicken (2023)

textiles and apparel, food processing, pharmaceuticals, surgical instruments, construction materials, paper products, fertilizer, shrimp

-1.7% (2024 est.)

83.644 million (2024 est.)

21.9% (2018 est.)

USA 14%, UAE 10%, China 9%, Germany 7%, UK 6% (2023)

garments, fabric, refined petroleum, rice, cotton fabric (2023)

China 25%, Qatar 11%, UAE 9%, Saudi Arabia 8%, Indonesia 6% (2023)

natural gas, refined petroleum, crude petroleum, palm oil, plastics (2023)

120 satellite TV stations; 42 media companies/channels; state-run Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV) is the largest TV network, serves over 85 percent of the population with 9 TV channels; over 100 private cable and satellite channels; state-owned Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC or Radio Pakistan) has the largest radio audience, particularly in rural areas, with AM/SW/FM stations covering most of the country (2022)

.pk

AP

117 (2025)

48 (2025)

Pakistan Armed Forces: Pakistan Army (includes National Guard), Pakistan Navy (includes Pakistan Marines, Pakistan Maritime Security Agency), Pakistan Air Force

Ministry of Interior: Frontier Constabulary, Frontier Corps, National Police, Pakistan Coast Guard, Punjab (Pakistan) Rangers, Sindh (Pakistan) Rangers (2025)

approximately 650,000 active Armed Forces (2025)

the military's inventory is a mix of mostly imported and some domestically produced armaments; the majority of its imported weapons are from China; other suppliers include France, Russia, Türkiye, Ukraine, the UK, and the US; Pakistan also has a domestic defense industry, which produces or co-produces such items as armored vehicles, aircraft, missiles, naval vessels (2025)

16-28 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; lower and upper age limits vary by military branch, position, and role; personnel cannot be deployed for combat until age 18 (2025)

1,400 Central African Republic (MINUSCA); 300 MONUSCO; 300 South Sudan (UNMISS); 575 Sudan (UNISFA) (2025)

the Pakistan military is responsible for external defense but also has a domestic security role; its chief external focus is India; the military is the lead security agency in many areas of the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and has for decades conducted operations against various internal militant groups; it is also one of the longest serving and largest contributors to UN peacekeeping missions; China is its closest security partner

the military operates largely independently and without effective civilian oversight; it has ruled the country for more than 30 years since independence in 1947 and continues to play a significant role in Pakistan's political arena; it also has a large stake in the country’s economic sector and is involved in a diverse array of commercial activities, including banking, construction of public projects, employment services, energy and power generation, fertilizer, food, housing, real estate, and security services

Pakistan has fought four wars and several skirmishes with India; three of the wars have been over the disputed region of Jammu and Kashmir, the status of which has been unsettled since the UK's 1947 withdrawal and the partition and independence of India and Pakistan; a fragile cease-fire was reached in 2003, revised in 2018, and reaffirmed in 2021, although the militarized Line of Control which serves as the border remains contested, and India has accused Pakistan of backing armed separatists and terrorist organizations in the territory New Delhi controls; in the Spring of 2025, Indian held Pakistan responsible for a terrorist attack in India-controlled Kashmir and retaliated, sparking a brief cross-border conflict involving aircraft, artillery, drone, and missile strikes

the Kashmir dispute also includes the Siachen Glacier, located in the Karakoram Mountain Range, which was seized by India in 1984 with Pakistan attempting to retake the area several times between 1985 and 1995; despite the 2003 cease-fire, both sides continue to maintain a permanent military presence there with outposts at altitudes above 20,000 feet (over 6,000 meters) where most casualties are due to extreme weather and the hazards of operating in the high mountain terrain of the world’s highest conflict, including avalanches, exposure, and altitude sickness (2025)

Pakistan Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO; established 1961) (2025)

none; missile test sites at Somiani (Balochistan) and Tilla Jogian (Punjab) (2025)

space program dates back to the early 1960s, but funding shortfalls and shifts in priority toward ballistic missile development in the 1980s and 1990s hampered the program’s development; now has a strengthened focus on acquiring satellites and reaching agreements with other space powers for additional capabilities; manufactures and operates satellites; researching and developing other space-related capabilities and technologies, such as satellite payloads; also conducts research in areas such as astronomy, astrophysics, environmental monitoring, and space sciences; works with China, Russia, and Turkey (cooperated with the UK and US prior to the 1990s) (2025)

1962-1972 - launched about 200 sounding rockets with some US assistance 

1990 - first domestically built experimental satellite (Badr-1) launched by China

2001 - first remote sensing (RS) satellite (Badr-2) built jointly with the UK and launched by Russia

2011 - first digital communications satellite (PakSat-1R) launched by China

2017 - successfully test-launched ballistic missile system (Shaheed-III)

2023 - joined China’s International Lunar Research Station program

2024 - first lunar orbiter/satellite (iCube Qamar) launched by China and deployed from China's Chang'e-6 spacecraft

2025 - first fully domestic RS satellite (PRSC-EO1) launched by China; selected country's first astronauts to be trained by China for mission to China's space station

al-Qa’ida; al-Qa’ida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS); Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA); Haqqani Network (HQN); Harakat ul-Jihad-i-Islami (HUJI); Harakat ul-Mujahidin; Hizbul Mujahideen; Indian Mujahedeen; Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham-Khorasan (ISIS-K); Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham – India (ISI); Islamic State of ash-Sham – Pakistan (ISP); Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU); Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM); Jaysh al Adl (Jundallah); Lashkar i Jhangvi (LJ); Lashkar-e Tayyiba (LeT); The Resistance Front (TRF); Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)