Death Rate in Pakistan: Statistics, Trends and Causes
What is Pakistan’s death rate today, how has it changed since 1950, and what do Pakistanis die of? Verified UN, World Bank and government figures — explained in plain language.
Last updated: 11 October 2026
Quick answer: Pakistan’s crude death rate is about 6.4 deaths per 1,000 people per year (UN World Population Prospects 2024; 2024–2025 estimates) — roughly 1.6 million deaths a year in a population of ~251 million. The CIA World Factbook’s 2023 estimate was 5.94 per 1,000, and Pakistan’s own Demographic Survey 2020 put it at 6.7. The rate has fallen dramatically from 27.8 per 1,000 in 1950.
The Latest Numbers
Death Rate in Pakistan: Latest Figures
Three sources, one consistent picture.
| Source | Year | Crude death rate |
|---|---|---|
| UN World Population Prospects 2024 | 2024–2025 (est.) | 6.4 per 1,000 |
| CIA World Factbook | 2023 (est.) | 5.94 per 1,000 |
| Pakistan Demographic Survey | 2020 | 6.7 per 1,000 |
Deaths per 1,000 (UN, 2025)
Estimated deaths per year
Life expectancy, years (2024)
Death-rate fall since 1950
1950 – 2025
The Trend: From 27.8 to 6.4
One of the great public-health stories of the last 75 years.
27.8 per 1,000
At independence-era levels, infectious disease, poor sanitation and almost no modern healthcare kept mortality brutally high.
~11 per 1,000
Vaccination drives, antibiotics and expanding basic health units cut the rate by more than half in four decades.
6.4 per 1,000
The lowest on record — a 4.3-fold fall since 1950, per UN data. Life expectancy reached about 68 years.
Note the demographic logic: Pakistan’s young population (median age in the early 20s) keeps the crude rate low even though health outcomes lag richer countries — crude rates blend age structure with actual health. For the full breakdown, see our mortality rate in Pakistan guide.
Why It Fell
Why Pakistan’s Death Rate Keeps Falling
The drivers behind the 75-year decline.
Vaccination and disease control
Expanded immunisation (EPI), polio campaigns, TB control and malaria programmes cut the infectious-disease deaths that once dominated mortality.
More, better healthcare
From basic health units to tertiary hospitals like Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, the health system’s reach — while still thin in rural areas — is vastly greater than in 1950.
Cleaner water and sanitation
Access to improved drinking water and sanitation reduced waterborne killers like cholera and typhoid, historically major causes of death.
A younger population
High fertility through the late 20th century produced a young age structure; younger populations mechanically record fewer deaths per 1,000.
The Challenges
What Still Drives Mortality in Pakistan
The rate is falling — but the health gap with richer countries remains wide.
Pakistan’s mortality profile is in transition: infectious diseases still kill, but non-communicable diseases — heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancers — are now the leading causes of adult death, as in most middle-income countries. Maternal and child mortality, though much improved, remain higher than regional peers; researchers have long called for a reliable national mortality database, noting that many deaths — especially in rural areas — are never medically certified. Road traffic injuries are another major, under-counted killer. Our life expectancy in Pakistan guide puts these numbers in human terms.
Non-communicable diseases
Heart disease, diabetes and cancers now dominate adult mortality — the price of urbanisation and lifestyle change.
Maternal & child health
Still above regional averages; the frontier for the next big mortality decline.
The data gap
No reliable nationwide cause-of-death registry exists — many deaths go uncertified, especially rurally.
Quick Reference
Frequently Asked Questions
Verified answers about Pakistan’s death rate.
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Mortality figures are from the UN World Population Prospects 2024, the CIA World Factbook and Pakistan’s Demographic Survey 2020, as cited. Rates are estimates — Pakistan has no complete vital-registration system.