Pakistan witnessed a remarkable surge in its registered voter count inching closer to 127 million as of July 25, compared to approximately 106 million in 2018.
This astounding increase of 21 million voters in just four years, is a testament to the evolving political landscape of the country.
Gender distribution of voters
Data released by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) revealed a transformation in the gender distribution of voters. Over the span of four years, the number of registered male voters soared by almost 10 million, climbing from 59.2 million in 2018 to an impressive 68.5 million in 2023. Males now constitute 54% of the nation’s total voter base.
Similarly, the count of female voters experienced a substantial growth of nearly 9 million, surging from 46.7 million in 2018 to an impressive 58.5 million in 2023, making up approximately 46% of the overall voter population.
Distribution of voters among different age groups
These statistics also reveal that youth aged between 18 and 35 constitute 45% of eligible voters, while the age group of 36 to 45 years comprises 21.88% of the total. Together, these two age groups make up two-thirds of the total 127 million registered voters.
Provincial distribution of voters
Breaking down the numbers by provinces, Punjab led the pack with a staggering 72.3 million voters, representing 56.9% of the nation’s total voters, a significant rise from the 60.6 million in 2018. Punjab’s male voters grew from 33.68 million in 2018 to 38.72 million in 2023, while female voters increased from 26.99 million to 33.59 million during this period.
Sindh followed as the second-largest province with 26.6 million voters, constituting 21% of the nation’s total voter population, compared to 22.3 million in 2018. The number of male voters in Sindh rose from 12.44 million to 14.44 million, while female voters increased from 9.95 million to 12.20 million over the past four years.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), now including the formerly Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), took the third position with approximately 21.7 million registered voters, up from 15.32 million in 2018. K-P now represents 17.1% of the country’s total voters, with male voters increasing from 8.71 million to 11.83 million and female voters rising from 6.60 million to 9.68 million since the FATA merger.
Balochistan recorded 5.3 million registered voters compared to 4.3 million in 2018, accounting for around 4.2% of the country’s total voter count. Male voters in Balochistan increased from 2.49 million to 2.96 million, and female voters increased from 1.81 million to 2.31 million in 2023.
Islamabad, the capital, saw a notable increase in its voter population, with a total of 1.04 million voters, up from 0.77 million four years ago.