About Pakistan
Why Pakistan:
Pakistan is the 2nd largest Islamic nation in the world with more than 170 million souls. 97% of the population is Muslim. Christians make up 3 % of the population and suffer more than any other ethnic or religious group. They have to face religious discrimination, religious intolerance, oppression, social subjugation and economic deprivation. Key jobs are restricted for Christians in Pakistan. Therefore Christians are less privileged and backward. The growing body of believers continually struggles under government persecution, because it is officially illegal for Muslims to convert to Christianity. Pakistan is in the very heart of the 10/40 window, the geographic area where 95 % of the un-reached people of the world live. Between Afghanistan, Iran, China and India, Pakistan is a strategic nation. After the 9/11, Pakistan has become the focus of the world. Pakistan is a country with different cultures, languages, people groups, economical backgrounds etc. Pakistan has a desperate need for assistance in evangelism, Church planting, literature outreach, leadership training and strengthening the local Church. 90 % of the newly planted churches and new believers need a place to worship and fellowship. A shortage of Bibles, Gospel literature, faith-based books, Indigenous missionaries and training material makes it difficult for Christians in Pakistan to grow in their faith and sustain relationship with Christ. More than a half of Pakistan's population has never heard about Jesus.
Pakistan is the 2nd largest Islamic nation in the world with more than 170 million souls. 97% of the population is Muslim. Christians make up 3 % of the population and suffer more than any other ethnic or religious group. They have to face religious discrimination, religious intolerance, oppression, social subjugation and economic deprivation. Key jobs are restricted for Christians in Pakistan. Therefore Christians are less privileged and backward. The growing body of believers continually struggles under government persecution, because it is officially illegal for Muslims to convert to Christianity. Pakistan is in the very heart of the 10/40 window, the geographic area where 95 % of the un-reached people of the world live. Between Afghanistan, Iran, China and India, Pakistan is a strategic nation. After the 9/11, Pakistan has become the focus of the world. Pakistan is a country with different cultures, languages, people groups, economical backgrounds etc. Pakistan has a desperate need for assistance in evangelism, Church planting, literature outreach, leadership training and strengthening the local Church. 90 % of the newly planted churches and new believers need a place to worship and fellowship. A shortage of Bibles, Gospel literature, faith-based books, Indigenous missionaries and training material makes it difficult for Christians in Pakistan to grow in their faith and sustain relationship with Christ. More than a half of Pakistan's population has never heard about Jesus.
Nationality:
noun: Pakistani(s)
adjective: Pakistani
Ethnic groups:
Punjabi 44.68%, Pashtun (Pathan) 15.42%, Sindhi 14.1%, Sariaki 8.38%, Muhajirs 7.57%, Balochi 3.57%, other 6.28%
Languages:
Punjabi 48%, Sindhi 12%, Saraiki (a Punjabi variant) 10%, Pashto (alternate name, Pashtu) 8%, Urdu (official) 8%, Balochi 3%, Hindko 2%, Brahui 1%, English (official; lingua franca of Pakistani elite and most government ministries), Burushaski, and other 8%
Religions:
Muslim (official) 96.4% (Sunni 85-90%, Shia 10-15%), other (includes Christian and Hindu) 3.6% (2010 est.)
Population:
196,174,380 (July 2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 7
[see also: Population country ranks ]
Age structure:
0-14 years: 33.3% (male 33,595,949/female 31,797,766)
15-24 years: 21.5% (male 21,803,617/female 20,463,184)
25-54 years: 35.7% (male 36,390,119/female 33,632,395)
55-64 years: 5.1% (male 5,008,681/female 5,041,434)
65 years and over: 4.3% (male 3,951,190/female 4,490,045) (2014 est.)
population pyramid:
Dependency ratios:
total dependency ratio: 60.4 %
youth dependency ratio: 53.4 %
elderly dependency ratio: 7.1 %
potential support ratio: 14.2 (2014 est.)
Median age:
total: 22.6 years
male: 22.6 years
female: 22.6 years (2014 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.49% (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 80
[see also: Population growth rate country ranks ]
Birth rate:
23.19 births/1,000 population (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 71
[see also: Birth rate country ranks ]
Death rate:
6.58 deaths/1,000 population (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 146
[see also: Death rate country ranks ]
Net migration rate:
-1.69 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 160
[see also: Net migration rate country ranks ]
Urbanization:
urban population: 36.2% of total population (2011)
rate of urbanization: 2.68% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
Major urban areas - population:
Karachi 13.876 million; Lahore 7.566 million; Faisalabad 3.038 million; Rawalpindi 2.164 million; Multan 1.775 million; ISLAMABAD (capital) 919,000 (2011)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 1.08 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female
total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2014 est.)
Mother's mean age at first birth:
23.4
note: median age at first birth among women 25-29 (2012-13 est.)
[see also: Mother's mean age at first birth country ranks ]
Maternal mortality rate:
260 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)
country comparison to the world: 44
[see also: Maternal mortality rate country ranks ]
Infant mortality rate:
total: 57.48 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 25
male: 60.67 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 54.13 deaths/1,000 live births (2014 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 67.05 years
country comparison to the world: 167
male: 65.16 years
female: 69.03 years (2014 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.86 children born/woman (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 63
[see also: Total fertility rate country ranks ]
Contraceptive prevalence rate:
27% (2007/08)
[see also: Contraceptive prevalence rate country ranks ]