ISLAMABAD: The gender gap among voters has narrowed down to 12.41 million for the first time in recent electoral history as the number of total voters across the country has surged to over 115 million.

The total 115.57m voters include 64.07m (55pc) male and 51.66m (45pc) female voters.

The data of voters obtained by Dawn in July this year showed total number of voters at 112.39m, including 62.55m (55.66pc) male and 51.66m (44.34 pc) female voters, translating into a gender gap of 12.72m.

Since then another 3.28m voters have been added to the voter lists, and in an encouraging sign, more women as compared to men were enrolled as voters during the time.

According to the latest data, the number of voters in Punjab has reached 66.23m, including 36.37m (55pc) male and 29.86m (45pc) female voters. The number of transgenders on the voter list from the province is 1,886.

Punjab accounts for widest gender gap; Islamabad has highest proportion of female voters

In Sindh the total number of voters is 24.35m, including 13.44m (55pc) male and 10.90m (45pc) female. The number of transgender voters in the province is 431.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the total number of voters stands at 19.53m, including 11.07m (57pc) male and 8.45m (43pc) female. Transgenders on the electoral rolls from the province number 133.

In Balochistan the total number of voters comes to 4.80m, including 2.75m (57pc) male and 2.04m (43pc) female voters, besides 81 transgenders.

The federal capital has the highest proportion of female voters. The total number of voters there comes to 825,000, including 432,000 (52pc) male and 393,000 (48pc) female voters. There are as many as seven transgenders in Islamabad registered as voters.

The document reveals that Punjab continues to account for a gender gap wider than all that of all the three other provinces and the federal capital, but the gap in the province has come down from 6.73m to 6.50m.

In Sindh too, the gap between male and female voters has narrowed down from 2.56m to 2.53m.

The gender gap in KP has also came down from 2.68m to 2.61m but in Balochistan the gap has widened to reach 706,000 from 699,000.

In Islamabad, the gap has narrowed down from 41,747 to 39,636.

In the 2013 general elections, the gap between male and female voters was 10.99m, which jumped to 11.65m in Sept 2015, at the start of the local government elections.

There were 86.18m registered voters in 2013 — 48.59m (56.37pc) men and 37.59m (43.62pc) women.

The figures released in Sept 2015 showed that the number of registered voters had gone up to 93.07m. There were 52.36m (56.26pc) male and 40.70m (43.73pc) female voters, which meant the registration of women had not kept pace with that of men.

After revision of the electoral rolls in 2016, the number reached 97.01m — 54.59m (56.27pc) male and 42.42m (43.72pc) female voters.

The number of voters prior to the 2018 elections was 97.01m — 54.5m men and 42.42m women.

After revision of the electoral rolls in Sept 2018, the number reached 106m — 59.24m (55.89pc) male and 46.75m (44.11pc) female voters.

The statistics released in April 2019 showed the number of voters going up to 108m, including 60.40m (55.80pc) male and 47.82m (44.19pc) female voters. Since then another over four million have been added to the electoral rolls.

Published in Dawn, October 3rd, 2020