PESHAWAR: The Pakistan Digital Census, 2023, has put the population of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at 40.8 million recording an increase of 5.3 million at the growth rate of 2.3 per cent since 2017.

The province’s population was 35.5 million in 2017, according to official figures.

The census results show that KP’s more than 34 million population lives in rural areas, while just six million people are based in urban centres.

The population of provincial capital Peshawar has gone up by 426,803 to reach 4.7 million from 4.3 million in 2017 with a growth rate of 1.5 per cent.

2.3pc population growth rate since 2017, reveals Pakistan Digital Census 2023

Lower Kohistan district has witnessed the highest annual population growth of 9.1 per cent to reach 340,017 from 202,935 in the last census.

Similarly, Upper Kohistan district’s population has grown at the rate of 5.6 per cent to reach 422,947 from 305,451 in 2017. Orakzai district population witnessed a growth rate of 7.6 per cent to total 387,561 against 254,303 in 2017.

As Upper and Lower Kohistan districts witnessed the highest population growth in the province, the adjoining Kolai-Palas district recorded the lowest increase in population in the province. Only 4,000 people were added to it with a population growth rate of 0.23 per cent only. The district’s population totalled 276,325 in 2017 but it went up to 280,162 in 2023.

Similarly, Hangu and Abbottabad are among the districts with the slowest population growth rate in the province. Hangu’s population has grown at the rate of 0.32 per cent to get an addition of over 10,000 individuals.

In 2017, it was populated by 518,811 people but the number reached 528,902 in 2023.

The census results show that Abbottabad’s population has increased by 85,983 to reach 1.4 million from 1.3 million in 2017 at the growth rate of 1.63 per cent.

Mardan’s population has surged to 2.7 million from 2.3 million in 2017 at the growth rate of 2.46 per cent, Dera Ismail Khan’s 1.8 million from 1.6 million at the rate of 1.3 per cent, and Swat’s 2.6 million from 2.3 million.

Similarly, Nowshera’s population has increased from 1.5 million in 2017 to 1.7 million in 2023, while Swabi’s head count has gone up from 1.6 million to 1.8 million. Nowshera recorded a population growth rate of 2.28 per cent and Swabi 2.59 per cent.

The population of Charsadda has gone up from 1.6 per cent in 2017 to 1.8 million in 2023, Mansehra’s from 1.5 million to 1.7 million and Haripur’s from 1 million to 1.1 million.

Also, Bannu district’s population has increased from 1.2 million in the last census to 1.3 million, while Kohat’s population has gone up from 1.1 million to 1.2 million.

The population of Buner district has jumped to two million from 8.9 million in 2017, Upper Chitral’s from 169,297 to 195,528 and Lower Chitral’s from 278,328 to 320,407.

Among tribal districts, Kurram’s population has grown at the rate of 4.1 per cent to reach 785,434 from 615,372 in 2017, while South Waziristan’s population has increased by 4.7 per cent to come to 888,675 from 675,215 in 2017.

Similarly, the population of North Waziristan district surged to 693,332 individuals from 540,546 in the last census at the rate of 4.2 per cent.

Bajaur’s population has gone up from over one million in the last census to 1.2 million and Mohmand’s from 474,345 in the last census to 553,933.

Published in Dawn, August 13th, 2023