Quick answer: The Digital Census Pakistan 2023 was the 7th Population and Housing Census and the country’s first fully digital count. Run by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics from 1 March 2023, it used tablet computers, GIS mapping and geo-tagged structures instead of paper forms, plus a self-enumeration portal used by 6.6 million households. Result: 241.49 million people, growing at 2.55% a year — approved by the CCI on 5 August 2023.
What ‘digital’ meant
Three things made 2023 different from every previous Pakistani census. First, enumerators carried tablets running a PBS app — answers went straight into the database, eliminating the paper-to-computer transcription errors of 2017. Second, every residential structure in the country was geo-tagged in advance, and supervisors watched coverage live on GIS dashboards. Third, citizens could enumerate themselves online through the PBS portal — 6.6 million households did. The PBS called it South Asia’s largest digitisation exercise, planned in just 18 months.
Timeline
1 March 2023: fieldwork begins nationwide with 120,000+ enumerators. April–May 2023: the schedule is extended several times to chase complete coverage (and PBS keeps a helpline open until 30 May for the missed). 5 August 2023: the Council of Common Interests, chaired by PM Shehbaz Sharif with all chief ministers present, unanimously approves the results. 7 August 2023: results officially notified in the gazette.
Tablets and GIS
Each tablet entry carried a timestamp and GPS coordinate — the count was auditable in a way paper never allowed. Supervisors could see which blocks were under-covered in real time and send teams back the same day. The geo-tagged structure list also settled old arguments about whether areas had been “missed” — the map showed every building.
Self-enumeration
The online portal let households fill the census form themselves — particularly useful for urban, educated households and for areas enumerators struggled to reach. The 6.6 million self-enumerated households were a world away from 2017’s paper-only exercise. For the results, provincial breakdowns and the full census history, see the complete digital census guide.
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
What is the digital census of Pakistan?
The 2023 7th Population and Housing Census — Pakistan’s first census conducted with tablets, GIS geo-tagging and online self-enumeration instead of paper forms.
When was the digital census held in Pakistan?
1 March to May 2023 (extended); results approved 5 August 2023.
Who conducted the digital census?
The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), with 120,000+ enumerators.
