Pakistan Religion Percentage: What the 2023 Census Really Shows

Search “Pakistan religion percentage” and you’ll find several different answers — 96.35%, 96.5%, sometimes a rounded 97%. This guide pins down the exact figures from the 2023 census (religion tables released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics in July 2024), explains why sources differ, and puts the percentages in context. For the full demographic picture, see our guide to Muslim population in Pakistan.

In this guide:

• The Exact Percentages
• Why Sources Sometimes Differ
• The Sunni–Shia Percentages
• Percentages in Real People
• FAQs

The Exact Percentages

The 2023 census asked the religion of 240.46 million respondents. The official percentages:

• Islam — 96.35% (231,686,709 people)
• Hinduism — 1.61% (3,867,729)
• Christianity — 1.37% (3,300,788)
• Ahmadiyya — 0.07% (162,684)
• Others — 0.59% (1,424,181: Sikhs, Parsis, Kalash, Buddhists, Bahá’ís and more)

These are the figures to quote — they come from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics’ own detailed census tables, not from secondary summaries (PBS, 2023 census).

Why Sources Sometimes Differ

If you have seen 2.17% quoted for Hindus instead of 1.61%, you are not imagining it: some published tables group scheduled castes together with Hindus, which lifts the Hindu figure. The PBS headline release puts Hindus at 1.61%. Similarly, “97% Muslim” is a rounded shorthand, and older CIA-style factbooks used the 1998 census figure of 96.28%. When comparing sources, always check which census and which table a figure comes from. Our population-by-religion guide shows the groupings side by side.

The Sunni–Shia Percentages

People also ask what percentage of Pakistan is Sunni versus Shia. The honest answer: there is no census figure. The commonly cited estimates — 85–90% Sunni, 10–15% Shia — come from academic research and surveys such as Pew’s. Most Sunnis follow the Hanafi school; most Shias are Twelver, with Ismaili (Nizari/Aga Khani, Dawoodi Bohra) communities. Treat any precise-looking sect percentage with scepticism — it is an estimate wearing a census’s clothes.

Percentages in Real People

Percentages can feel abstract; the human scale helps. 96.35% Muslim means about 232 million Muslims — the world’s second-largest Muslim population, after Indonesia. The 1.61% Hindu figure means 3.87 million Hindus, nearly all in Sindh; 1.37% Christian means 3.3 million Christians, the fastest-growing major group. And 0.07% Ahmadi means 162,684 people counted separately under the Constitution’s Second Amendment. Small percentages, large communities — a reminder that Pakistan’s 3.65% non-Muslim population is roughly 8.8 million people, more than the entire population of many countries. Faith shapes daily life across the country — from how Eid al-Adha is celebrated to the constitutional guarantee that all citizens are equal regardless of religion.

FAQs

What is the exact percentage of Muslims in Pakistan?

96.35% according to the 2023 census — 231,686,709 out of 240.46 million respondents. Rounded figures of 96% or 97% are common but less precise.

What percentage of Pakistan is Hindu?

1.61% (3.87 million people) in the 2023 census — Pakistan’s largest religious minority, concentrated overwhelmingly in Sindh. Some tables show 2.17% by grouping scheduled castes with Hindus.

What percentage of Pakistan is Christian?

1.37% (3.30 million people) in the 2023 census, up from 1.27% in 2017 — the only major group whose share increased, and the fastest-growing in absolute terms.

Why do some sources give different figures for Pakistan’s religions?

Three reasons: different censuses (1998: 96.28% Muslim; 2017: 96.47%; 2023: 96.35%), different groupings (some tables merge scheduled castes with Hindus), and rounding (96.35% becomes “97%”). Always check the source census.