“Pakistan sex ratio 2018 census” is one of the most searched demographic queries about the country — and it rests on a misunderstanding. There was no census in 2018. This guide explains what people are actually looking for: the 2017 census results and the 2018 international estimates built on them.
Quick answer: There was no census in Pakistan in 2018. The 6th Population and Housing Census was conducted in 2017: 106,449,322 men, 101,314,780 women and 10,418 transgender persons — a sex ratio of 105.07. World Bank estimates for 2018 put women at 48.54% of the population, implying a ratio of about 106.
In this guide
The 2017 Census: The Real Numbers
Pakistan’s 6th census — the first in 19 years — was conducted in 2017, with provisional results released that year. It counted 106,449,322 males, 101,314,780 females and 10,418 transgender persons: 51% male, 48.76% female, and a sex ratio of 105.07 males per 100 females. This remains the census benchmark against which the 2023 result (106.12) is compared.
The 2018 Estimates
For 2018, the figures in circulation come from international estimates. The World Bank’s 2018 estimate put women at 48.54% of the population — consistent with a sex ratio of roughly 106 males per 100 females. These estimates extrapolate from the 2017 census using fertility, mortality and migration models; they are not counts.
The full story across all censuses is in our Pakistan sex ratio landing guide; the 2009 estimate is covered in Pakistan sex ratio 2009, and the plain-terms breakdown in male to female ratio in Pakistan.
Sex Ratio by Age Group
The 2018 estimates reveal how the ratio varies across a lifetime: 1.05 males per female at birth (the biological norm), peaking at 1.08 in the 25–54 age group — the working ages shaped by male labour migration — and falling to 0.87 among the 65+, where women’s longer life expectancy reverses the balance. Pakistan’s ratio, in other words, is not one number but a curve.
Frequently Asked Questions
Was there a census in Pakistan in 2018?
No. The censuses were conducted in 2017 and 2023. Figures labelled “2018 census” are estimates.
What was Pakistan’s sex ratio in 2018?
Approximately 106 males per 100 females, per World Bank 2018 estimates (women 48.54% of the population) — extrapolated from the 2017 census.
What did the 2017 census find?
106.45 million men, 101.31 million women and 10,418 transgender persons — a sex ratio of 105.07.
Why do people search for a 2018 census?
The 2017 census results were finalised and widely reported through 2018, and international datasets date their estimates to 2018 — so the year stuck in search queries.
