Number of Cities in Pakistan: Province-by-Province Breakdown
Pakistan’s cities are spread unevenly: Punjab dominates the list, Sindh has the two giants, KP and Balochistan have one major metropolis each. Here’s the province-by-province picture from the 2023 census.
Quick answer: Pakistan has hundreds of cities, led by Punjab with 81 cities above 100,000 people (2023 census). By province, the largest cities are: Punjab — Lahore (13.00M); Sindh — Karachi (18.87M); Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — Peshawar (1.91M); Balochistan — Quetta (1.57M); plus the federal capital Islamabad (1.11M).
In this guide
Punjab: the urban giant
Punjab is Pakistan’s urban heartland: 81 cities above 100,000 people in the 2023 census — more than all other provinces combined. Its big five: Lahore (13,004,135), Faisalabad (3,691,999), Rawalpindi (3,357,612), Gujranwala (2,511,118), Multan (2,215,381) — then Sargodha (975,886), Sialkot (911,817), Bahawalpur (903,795), Jhang, Sheikhupura, Gujrat, Sahiwal, Okara and dozens more. Most sit in the northern urban arc that holds the bulk of the province’s people.
Sindh: two giants
Sindh’s urban story is Karachi (18,868,021) — Pakistan’s largest city, bigger than the next three combined — plus Hyderabad (1,921,275), the province’s second metropolis. Then Sukkur, Larkana, Mirpur Khas and Nawabshah. Sindh is Pakistan’s most urbanised province, with most of its people along the Indus corridor.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Peshawar (1,905,975) is KP’s only million-plus city and its historic capital — though its city-proper count dipped slightly from 2017 on boundary definitions, the wider urban area keeps growing. Mardan, Mingora (Swat), Kohat, Dera Ismail Khan and Nowshera follow.
Balochistan
Quetta (1,565,546) is Balochistan’s only major metropolis — and its fastest-growing, up 56% since 2017. The province is Pakistan’s largest by land but least urbanised; Khuzdar and Turbat are the next urban centres. For the full national ranking, see Pakistan cities by population and how many cities Pakistan has.
Islamabad Capital Territory
The federal capital Islamabad (1,108,872) rounds out the top 10 — planned, green, and growing steadily (+9.8% since 2017), functionally merged with Rawalpindi into a twin-city metro of 4.5 million.
FAQs
Which province has the most cities in Pakistan?
Punjab — 81 cities above 100,000 people in the 2023 census, more than all other provinces combined.
What is the largest city of each province?
Punjab: Lahore (13.00M) · Sindh: Karachi (18.87M) · Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Peshawar (1.91M) · Balochistan: Quetta (1.57M) · Capital: Islamabad (1.11M).
How many million-plus cities does Pakistan have?
Ten (2023 census): Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Multan, Hyderabad, Peshawar, Quetta and Islamabad.
