2015 Edition

Background

The Indus Valley civilization, one of the oldest in the world and dating back at least 5,000 years, spread over much of what is presently Pakistan. During the second millennium B.C., remnants of this culture fused with the migrating Indo-Aryan peoples. The area underwent successive invasions in subsequent centuries from the Persians, Greeks, Scythians, Arabs (who brought Islam), Afghans, and Turks. The Mughal Empire flourished in the 16th and 17th centuries; the British came to dominate the region in the 18th century. The separation in 1947 of British India into the Muslim state of Pakistan (with West and East sections) and largely Hindu India was never satisfactorily resolved, and India and Pakistan fought two wars - in 1947-48 and 1965 - over the disputed Kashmir territory. A third war between these countries in 1971 - in which India capitalized on Islamabad's marginalization of Bengalis in Pakistani politics - resulted in East Pakistan becoming the separate nation of Bangladesh. In response to Indian nuclear weapons testing, Pakistan conducted its own tests in 1998. India-Pakistan relations have been rocky since the November 2008 Mumbai attacks, but both countries are taking steps to put relations back on track. In February 2008, Pakistan held parliamentary elections and in September 2008, after the resignation of former President MUSHARRAF, elected Asif Ali ZARDARI to the presidency. A constitutional amendment adopted in April 2010 limited many of the president’s executive powers, effectively restoring the parliamentary system. Following parliamentary elections in May 2013 in which Nawaz SHARIF’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party won a majority of seats, Pakistan witnessed its first peaceful transition from one democratically elected government to another.

Area

land

770,875 sq km

total

796,095 sq km

water

25,220 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly more than five times the size of Georgia; slightly less than twice the size of California

Climate

mostly hot, dry desert; temperate in northwest; arctic in north

Coastline

1,046 km

Elevation extremes

highest point

K2 (Mt. Godwin-Austen) 8,611 m

lowest point

Indian Ocean 0 m

Environment - current issues

water pollution from raw sewage, industrial wastes, and agricultural runoff; limited natural freshwater resources; most of the population does not have access to potable water; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification

Environment - international agreements

party to

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified

Marine Life Conservation

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

per capita

1,038 cu m/yr (2008)

total

183.5 cu km/yr (5%/1%/94%)

Geographic coordinates

30 00 N, 70 00 E

Geography - note

controls Khyber Pass and Bolan Pass, traditional invasion routes between Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent

Irrigated land

199,900 sq km (2008)

Land boundaries

border countries (4)

Afghanistan 2,670 km, China 438 km, India 3,190 km, Iran 959 km

total

7,257 km

Land use

arable land 27.6%; permanent crops 1.1%; permanent pasture 6.5%

agricultural land

35.2%

forest

2.1%

other

62.7% (2011 est.)

Location

Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea, between India on the east and Iran and Afghanistan on the west and China in the north

Map references

Asia

Maritime claims

contiguous zone

24 nm

continental shelf

200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Natural hazards

frequent earthquakes, occasionally severe especially in north and west; flooding along the Indus after heavy rains (July and August)

Natural resources

arable land, extensive natural gas reserves, limited petroleum, poor quality coal, iron ore, copper, salt, limestone

Terrain

flat Indus plain in east; mountains in north and northwest; Balochistan plateau in west

Total renewable water resources

246.8 cu km (2011)

Age structure

0-14 years

32.65% (male 33,396,847/female 31,611,641)

15-24 years

21.44% (male 22,016,207/female 20,673,562)

25-54 years

36.28% (male 37,526,930/female 34,701,271)

55-64 years

5.28% (male 5,254,347/female 5,253,526)

65 years and over

4.35% (male 4,036,727/female 4,614,789) (2015 est.)

Birth rate

22.58 births/1,000 population (2015 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

31.6% (2013)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

35.4% (2012/13)

Death rate

6.49 deaths/1,000 population (2015 est.)

Dependency ratios

elderly dependency ratio

7.4%

potential support ratio

13.5% (2015 est.)

total dependency ratio

65.3%

youth dependency ratio

57.9%

Drinking water source

urban: 93.9% of population

rural: 89.9% of population

total: 91.4% of population

urban: 6.1% of population

rural: 10.1% of population

total: 8.6% of population (2015 est.)

Education expenditures

2.5% of GDP (2013)

Ethnic groups

Punjabi 44.68%, Pashtun (Pathan) 15.42%, Sindhi 14.1%, Sariaki 8.38%, Muhajirs 7.57%, Balochi 3.57%, other 6.28%

Health expenditures

2.8% of GDP (2013)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.07% (2013 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

2,200 (2013 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

68,000 (2013 est.)

Hospital bed density

0.6 beds/1,000 population (2012)

Infant mortality rate

female

52.35 deaths/1,000 live births (2015 est.)

male

58.84 deaths/1,000 live births

total

55.67 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages

Punjabi 48%, Sindhi 12%, Saraiki (a Punjabi variant) 10%, Pashto (alternate name, Pashtu) 8%, Urdu (official) 8%, Balochi 3%, Hindko 2%, Brahui 1%, English (official; lingua franca of Pakistani elite and most government ministries), Burushaski, and other 8%

Life expectancy at birth

female

69.4 years (2015 est.)

male

65.47 years

total population

67.39 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

45.8% (2015 est.)

male

69.5%

total population

57.9%

Major infectious diseases

animal contact disease

rabies

degree of risk

high

food or waterborne diseases

bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever

note

highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2013)

vectorborne diseases

dengue fever and malaria

Major urban areas - population

Karachi 16.618 million; Lahore 8.741 million; Faisalabad 3.567 million; Rawalpindi 2.506 million; Multan 1.921 million; ISLAMABAD (capital) 1.365 million (2015)

Median age

female

22.6 years (2014 est.)

male

22.6 years

total

22.6 years

Nationality

adjective

Pakistani

noun

Pakistani(s)

Net migration rate

-1.54 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2015 est.)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

4.8% (2014)

Physicians density

0.83 physicians/1,000 population (2010)

Population

199,085,847 (July 2015 est.)

Population growth rate

1.46% (2015 est.)

Religions

Muslim (official) 96.4% (Sunni 85-90%, Shia 10-15%), other (includes Christian and Hindu) 3.6% (2010 est.)

Sanitation facility access

urban: 83.1% of population

rural: 51.1% of population

total: 63.5% of population

urban: 16.9% of population

rural: 48.9% of population

total: 36.5% of population (2015 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

female

7 years (2013)

male

8 years

total

8 years

Sex ratio

0-14 years

1.06 male(s)/female

15-24 years

1.06 male(s)/female

25-54 years

1.08 male(s)/female

55-64 years

1 male(s)/female

65 years and over

0.87 male(s)/female

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female

total population

1.06 male(s)/female (2015 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.75 children born/woman (2015 est.)

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

female

10.5% (2008 est.)

male

7%

total

7.7%

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

2.81% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

urban population

38.8% of total population (2015)

Administrative divisions

4 provinces, 1 territory*, and 1 capital territory**; Balochistan, Federally Administered Tribal Areas*, Islamabad Capital Territory**, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly North-West Frontier Province), Punjab, Sindh

note

the Pakistani-administered portion of the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region consists of 2 administrative entities: Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan

Capital

geographic coordinates

33 41 N, 73 03 E

name

Islamabad

time difference

UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Constitution

several previous; latest endorsed 12 April 1973, passed 19 April 1973, entered into force 14 August 1973 (suspended and restored several times); amended many times, last in 2015 (2015)

Country name

conventional long form

Islamic Republic of Pakistan

conventional short form

Pakistan

former

West Pakistan

local long form

Jamhuryat Islami Pakistan

local short form

Pakistan

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Richard OLSON (since 31 October 2012)

consulate(s)

Lahore, Peshawar

consulate(s) general

Karachi

embassy

Diplomatic Enclave, Ramna 5, Islamabad

FAX

[92] (51) 227-6427

mailing address

8100 Islamabad Place, Washington, DC 20521-8100

telephone

[92] (51) 208-0000

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

3517 International Court, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador Jalil Abbas JILANI (since 10 March 2014)

consulate(s)

Louisville (KY), San Francisco

consulate(s) general

Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles

FAX

[1] (202) 686-1544

telephone

[1] (202) 243-6500

Executive branch

cabinet

Cabinet appointed by the president upon the advice of the prime minister

chief of state

President Mamnoon HUSSAIN (since 9 September 2013)

election results

Mamnoon HUSSAIN elected president; Mamnoon HUSSAIN (PML-N) 432 votes, Wajihuddin AHMED (PTI) 77 votes

elections/appointments

president indirectly elected by the Electoral College consisting of members of the Senate, National Assembly, and provincial assemblies for a 5-year term (eligible for reelection); election last held on 9 September 2013 (next to be held in 2018); prime minister selected by the National Assembly

head of government

Prime Minister Mohammad Nawaz SHARIF (since 5 June 2013)

Flag description

green with a vertical white band (symbolizing the role of religious minorities) on the hoist side; a large white crescent and star are centered in the green field; the crescent, star, and color green are traditional symbols of Islam

Government type

federal republic

Independence

14 August 1947 (from British India)

International law organization participation

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; non-party state to the ICCt

International organization participation

ADB, ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), C, CICA, CP, D-8, ECO, FAO, G-11, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINURSO, MONUSCO, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, PCA, SAARC, SACEP, SCO (observer), UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Judicial branch

highest court(s)

Supreme Court of Pakistan (consists of the chief justice and 16 judges)

judge selection and term of office

justices nominated by an 8-member parliamentary committee upon the recommendation of the Judicial Commission (a 9-member body of judges and other judicial professionals), and appointed by the president of Pakistan; justices can serve until age 65

subordinate courts

High Courts; Federal Shariat Court; provincial and district civil and criminal courts; specialized courts for issues such as taxation, banking, customs, etc.

Legal system

common law system with Islamic law influence

Legislative branch

description

bicameral Parliament or Majlis-e-Shoora consists of the Senate (104 seats; members indirectly elected by the 4 provincial assemblies and the territories' representatives by proportional representation vote; members serve 6-year terms with one-half of the membership renewed every 3 years) and the National Assembly (342 seats; 272 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote and 70 members - 60 women and 10 non-Muslims - directly elected by proportional representation vote; all members serve 5-year terms)

election results

Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PPPP 27, PML-N 26, MQM 8, ANP 7, PTI 6, JUI-F 5, PML-Q 4, BNP-A 3, NPP 1, PML-F 1, other 10, independent 6; National Assembly - percent of votes by party - NA; seats by party as of June 2013 - PML-N 126, PPPP 31, PTI 28, MQM 18, JUI-F 10, PML-F 5, other 22, independent 25, unfilled seats 7; 60 seats reserved for women, 10 seats reserved for non-Muslims; seats by party as of April 2015 (includes women and non-Muslim seats) - PML-N 188, PPPP 46, PTI 33, MQM 23, JUI-F 13, PML-F 5, other 25, independent 9

elections

Senate - last held on 5 March 2015 (next to be held in March 2018); National Assembly - last held on 11 May 2013 (next to be held by 2018)

National anthem

lyrics/music

Abu-Al-Asar Hafeez JULLANDHURI/Ahmed Ghulamali CHAGLA

name

"Qaumi Tarana" (National Anthem)

note

adopted 1954; also known as "Pak sarzamin shad bad" (Blessed Be the Sacred Land)

National holiday

Pakistan Day (also referred to as Pakistan Resolution Day or Republic Day), 23 March (1940); note - commemorates both the adoption of the Lahore Resolution by the All-India Muslim League during its 22-24 March 1940 session, which called for the creation of independent Muslim states, and the adoption of the first constitution of Pakistan on 23 March 1956 during the transition to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan

National symbol(s)

star and crescent, jasmine; national colors: green, white

Political parties and leaders

Awami National Party or ANP [Asfandyar Wali KHAN]

Balochistan National Party-Awami or BNP-A

Balochistan National Party-Hayee Group or BNP-H [Dr. Abdul Hayee BALOCH]

Balochistan National Party-Mengal or BNP-M [Sardar Akhtar Jan MENGAL]

Jamaat-i Islami or JI [Sirajul HAQ]

Jamhoori Watan Party or JWP [Talal Akbar BUGTI]

Jamiat Ahle Hadith or JAH [Sajid MIR]

Jamiat-i Ulema-i Islam Fazl-ur Rehman or JUI-F [Fazl-ur REHMAN]

Jamiat-i Ulema-i Islam Sami-ul HAQ or JUI-S [Sami ul-HAQ]

Jamiat-i Ulema-i Pakistan or JUP [Abul Khair ZUBAIR]

Tehreek-e-Jafferia Pakistan [Allama Sajid NAQVI]

Muttahida Qaumi Movement or MQM [Altaf HUSSAIN]

Pakhtun-khwa Milli Awami Party or PKMAP [Mahmood Khan ACHAKZAI]

Pakistan Awami Tehrik or PAT [Tahir ul QADRI]

Pakistan Muslim League-Functional or PML-F [Pir PAGARO or Syed ShahMardan SHAH-II]

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz or PML-N [Nawaz SHARIF]

Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid-i Azam or PML-Q [Chaudhry Shujaat HUSSAIN]

Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians or PPPP [Bilawal Bhutto ZARDARI, chairman; Asif Ali ZARDARI, president]

Pakistan Tehrik-e Insaaf or PTI [Imran KHAN]

Quami Watan Party or QWP [Aftab Ahmed Khan SHERPAO]

note

political alliances in Pakistan can shift frequently

Political pressure groups and leaders

other

military; ulema (clergy); landowners; industrialists; small merchants

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal; note - there are joint electorates and reserved parliamentary seats for women and non-Muslims

Agriculture - products

cotton, wheat, rice, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; milk, beef, mutton, eggs

Budget

expenditures

$51.02 billion (FY2014 est.)

revenues

$36.92 billion

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-5.9% of GDP (FY2014 est.)

Central bank discount rate

9.5% (18 December 2014)

10% (31 December 2013)

Commercial bank prime lending rate

9.7% (8 December 2014 est.)

9.98% (31 December 2013 est.)

Current account balance

-$3.096 billion (2014 est.)

-$2.496 billion (FY2013 est.)

Debt - external

$62.33 billion (30 June 2014 est.)

$57.8 billion (30 June 2013 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

29.6 (FY2011)

30 (FY2008)

Economy - overview

Decades of internal political disputes and low levels of foreign investment have led to slow growth and underdevelopment in Pakistan. Agriculture accounts for more than one-fourth of output and two-fifths of employment. Textiles account for most of Pakistan's export earnings, and Pakistan's failure to diversify its exportshas left the country vulnerable to shifts in world demand. Official unemployment was 6.9% in 2014, but this fails to capture the true picture, because much of the economy is informal and underemployment remains high. Pakistan’s human development continues to lag behind most of the region.. As a result of political and macroeconomic instability, the Pakistani rupee has depreciated more than 40% since 2007. The government agreed to an International Monetary Fund Standby Arrangement in November 2008 to preventa balance of payments crisis, but the IMF ended the Arrangement early because of Pakistan’s failure to implement required reforms. The economy has stabilized, it continues to underperform and foreign investment has not returned to levels seen during themid-2000’s, due to investor concerns related to governance, electricity shortages, , and a slow-down in the global economy. Remittances from overseas workers, averaging more than$1 billion a month, remain a bright spot for Pakistan. After a small current account surplus in fiscal year 2011 (July 2010/June 2011), Pakistan's current account turned to a deficit where it remained through 2014, spurred by higher prices for imported oil and lower prices for exported cotton. In September 2013, after facing balance of payments concerns, Pakistan entered into a three-year, $6.7 billion IMF Extended Fund Facility. The Sharif government has since made modest progress implementing fiscal and energy reforms, and in December 2014 the IMF described Pakistan’s progress as “broadly on track.” Pakistan remains stuck in a low-income, low-growth trap, with growth averaging about 3.5% per year from 2008 to 2014. Pakistan must address long standing issues related to government revenues and the electricity and natural gas sectorsin order to spur the amount of economic growth that will be necessary to employ its growing and rapidly urbanizing population, more than half of which is under 22. Other long term challenges include expanding investment in education and healthcare, adapting to the effects of climate change and natural disasters, and reducing dependence on foreign donors.

Exchange rates

Pakistani rupees (PKR) per US dollar -

102.89 (FY2014 est.)

96.86 (FY2013 est.)

93.4 (2012 est.)

86.3434 (2011 est.)

85.194 (2010 est.)

Exports

$25.11 billion (FY2014 est.)

$24.46 billion (FY2013 est.)

Exports - commodities

textiles (garments, bed linen, cotton cloth, yarn), rice, leather goods, sporting goods, chemicals, manufactures, carpets and rugs

Exports - partners

US 12.9%, China 11%, UAE 9.2%, Afghanistan 8%, UK 4.3%, Germany 4.2% (2013)

Fiscal year

1 July - 30 June

GDP - composition, by end use

(2014 est.)

exports of goods and services

12.3%

government consumption

12%

household consumption

80.5%

imports of goods and services

-18.8%

investment in fixed capital

12.4%

investment in inventories

1.6%

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture

25.1%

industry

21.3%

services

53.6% (2014 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$4,700 (2014 est.)

$4,500 (2013 est.)

$4,400 (2012 est.)

note

data are in 2014 US dollars

GDP - real growth rate

4.1% (2014 est.)

3.7% (2013 est.)

3.8% (2012 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$250.1 billion (2014 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$882.3 billion (2014 est.)

$847.2 billion (2013 est.)

$817 billion (2012 est.)

note

data are in 2014 US dollars

Gross national saving

12.8% of GDP (2014 est.)

13.5% of GDP (2013 est.)

13% of GDP (2012 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

25.6% (FY2011)

lowest 10%

4.2%

Imports

$45.07 billion (FY2014 est.)

$44.95 billion (FY2013 est.)

Imports - commodities

petroleum, petroleum products, machinery, plastics, transportation equipment, edible oils, paper and paperboard, iron and steel, tea

Imports - partners

China 22.5%, Saudi Arabia 11.9%, UAE 11.7%, Kuwait 6.1%, India 4.6% (2013)

Industrial production growth rate

5.8% (2014 est.)

Industries

textiles and apparel, food processing, pharmaceuticals, construction materials, paper products, fertilizer, shrimp

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

8.6% (FY2014 est.)

7.4% (FY2013 est.)

Labor force

62.42 million

note

extensive export of labor, mostly to the Middle East, and use of child labor (2014 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

44%

industry

22%

services

33% (FY2013 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$43.68 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$32.76 billion (31 December 2011)

$38.17 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

Population below poverty line

12.4% (FY2011 est.)

Public debt

64.3% of GDP (FY2014 est.)

64.8% of GDP (FY2013 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$14.41 billion (30 June 2014 est.)

$10.83 billion (30 June 2013 est.)

Stock of broad money

$97.27 billion (31 October 2014 est.)

$98.77 billion (30 June 2013 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad

$1.805 billion (30 June 2014 est.)

$1.731 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$31.25 billion (30 June 2014 est.)

$27.59 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

Stock of domestic credit

$102 billion (31 October 2014 est.)

$94.67 billion (30 June 2013 est.)

Stock of narrow money

$76.42 billion (31 October 2014 est.)

$77.62 billion (30 June 2013 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

15.5% of GDP (FY2014 est.)

Unemployment rate

6.8% (2014 est.)

6.2% (2013 est.)

note

substantial underemployment exists

Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy

146.9 million Mt (2012 est.)

Crude oil - exports

0 bbl/day (2010 est.)

Crude oil - imports

372,800 bbl/day (2013 est.)

Crude oil - production

59,590 bbl/day (2013 est.)

Crude oil - proved reserves

341.9 million bbl (1 January 2014 est.)

Electricity - consumption

80.3 billion kWh (FY2013 est.)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2013 est.)

Electricity - from fossil fuels

68% of total installed capacity (FY2013 est.)

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

28.9% of total installed capacity (FY2013 est.)

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

3.3% of total installed capacity (FY2013 est.)

Electricity - from other renewable sources

0.2% of total installed capacity (FY2013 est.)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2013 est.)

Electricity - installed generating capacity

23.66 million kW (FY2013 est.)

Electricity - production

89.88 billion kWh (2011 est.)

Natural gas - consumption

41.4 billion cu m (2012 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2012 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2012 est.)

Natural gas - production

41.4 billion cu m (2012 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

754.6 billion cu m (1 January 2014 est.)

Refined petroleum products - consumption

437,100 bbl/day (2013 est.)

Refined petroleum products - exports

34,660 bbl/day (2010 est.)

Refined petroleum products - imports

227,100 bbl/day (2010 est.)

Refined petroleum products - production

210,100 bbl/day (2010 est.)

Broadcast media

media is government regulated; 1 dominant state-owned TV broadcaster, Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV), operates a network consisting of 5 channels; private TV broadcasters are permitted; to date 69 foreign satellite channels are operational; the state-owned radio network operates more than 40 stations; nearly 100 commercially licensed privately owned radio stations provide programming mostly limited to music and talk shows (2007)

Internet country code

.pk

Internet users

percent of population

10.8% (2014 est.)

total

21.3 million

Radio broadcast stations

AM 31, FM 68, shortwave NA (2006)

Telephone system

domestic

mobile-cellular subscribership has skyrocketed, exceeding 110 million by the end of 2011, up from only about 300,000 in 2000; more than 90 percent of Pakistanis live within areas that have cell phone coverage, and more than half of all Pakistanis have access to a cell phone; fiber systems are being constructed throughout the country to aid in network growth; fixed line availability has risen only marginally over the same period, and there are still difficulties getting fixed-line service to rural areas

general assessment

the telecommunications infrastructure is improving dramatically with foreign and domestic investments in fixed-line and mobile-cellular networks; system consists of microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, fiber-optic cable, cellular, and satellite networks;

international

country code - 92; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-3 and SEA-ME-WE-4 submarine cable systems that provide links to Asia, the Middle East, and Europe; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean); 3 operational international gateway exchanges (1 at Karachi and 2 at Islamabad); microwave radio relay to neighboring countries (2011)

Telephones - fixed lines

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

2 (2014 est.)

total subscriptions

4.9 million

Telephones - mobile cellular

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

69 (2014 est.)

total

135.8 million

Television broadcast stations

20 (5 state-run channels and 15 privately-owned satellite channels) (2006)

Airports

151 (2013)

Airports - with paved runways

1,524 to 2,437 m

43

2,438 to 3,047 m

20

914 to 1,523 m

20

over 3,047 m

15

total

108

under 914 m

10 (2013)

Airports - with unpaved runways

24 (2013)

1,524 to 2,437 m

9

2,438 to 3,047 m

1

914 to 1,523 m

9

total

43

Heliports

23 (2013)

Merchant marine

by type

bulk carrier 5, cargo 3, petroleum tanker 3

registered in other countries

11 (Comoros 5, Marshall Islands 1, Moldova 1, Panama 3, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1) (2010)

total

11

Pipelines

gas 12,646 km; oil 2,576 km; refined products 1,087 km (2013)

Ports and terminals

container port(s) (TEUs)

Karachi (1,545,434)

LNG terminal(s) (import)

Port Qasim

major seaport(s)

Karachi, Port Muhammad Bin Qasim

Railways

broad gauge

7,477 km 1.676-m gauge (293 km electrified)

narrow gauge

312 km 1.000-m gauge (2014)

total

7,789 km

Roadways

paved

189,218 km (includes 708 km of expressways)

total

262,256 km

unpaved

73,038 km (2010)

Manpower available for military service

females age 16-49

44,898,096 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49

48,453,305

Manpower fit for military service

females age 16-49

37,381,549 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49

37,945,440

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

female

2,104,906 (2010 est.)

male

2,237,723

Military branches

Pakistan Army (includes National Guard), Pakistan Navy (includes Maritime Security Agency), Pakistan Air Force (Pakistan Fiza'ya) (2015)

Military expenditures

3.5% of GDP (2013)

3.5% of GDP (2012)

3.2% of GDP (2011)

Military service age and obligation

16-23 years of age for voluntary military service; soldiers cannot be deployed for combat until age 18; the Pakistani Air Force and Pakistani Navy have inducted their first female pilots and sailors; the Pakistan Air Force recruits aviation technicians at age 15; service obligation (Navy) 10-18 years; retirement required after 18-30 years service or age 40-52 (2012)

Disputes - international

various talks and confidence-building measures cautiously have begun to defuse tensions over Kashmir, particularly since the October 2005 earthquake in the region; Kashmir nevertheless remains the site of the world's largest and most militarized territorial dispute with portions under the de facto administration of China (Aksai Chin), India (Jammu and Kashmir), and Pakistan (Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas); UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan has maintained a small group of peacekeepers since 1949; India does not recognize Pakistan's ceding historic Kashmir lands to China in 1964; India and Pakistan have maintained their 2004 cease-fire in Kashmir and initiated discussions on defusing the armed standoff in the Siachen glacier region; Pakistan protests India's fencing the highly militarized Line of Control and construction of the Baglihar Dam on the Chenab River in Jammu and Kashmir, which is part of the larger dispute on water sharing of the Indus River and its tributaries; to defuse tensions and prepare for discussions on a maritime boundary, India and Pakistan seek technical resolution of the disputed boundary in Sir Creek estuary at the mouth of the Rann of Kutch in the Arabian Sea; Pakistani maps continue to show the Junagadh claim in India's Gujarat State; since 2002, with UN assistance, Pakistan has repatriated 3.8 million Afghan refugees, leaving about 2.6 million; Pakistan has sent troops across and built fences along some remote tribal areas of its treaty-defined Durand Line border with Afghanistan, which serve as bases for foreign terrorists and other illegal activities; Afghan, Coalition, and Pakistan military meet periodically to clarify the alignment of the boundary on the ground and on maps

Illicit drugs

significant transit area for Afghan drugs, including heroin, opium, morphine, and hashish, bound for Iran, Western markets, the Gulf States, Africa, and Asia; financial crimes related to drug trafficking, terrorism, corruption, and smuggling remain problems; opium poppy cultivation estimated to be 2,300 hectares in 2007 with 600 of those hectares eradicated; federal and provincial authorities continue to conduct anti-poppy campaigns that utilizes forced eradication, fines, and arrests

Refugees and internally displaced persons

IDPs

more than 1.8 million (primarily those who remain displaced by counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations and violent conflict between armed non-state groups in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Khyber-Paktunkwa Province; more than one million displaced in Northern Waziristan in 2014; individuals also have been displaced by repeated monsoon floods) (2015)

refugees (country of origin)

3 million (1.6 million registered, 1.4 million undocumented) (Afghanistan) (2015)

Trafficking in persons

current situation

Pakistan is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking; the country’s deteriorating security situation and weak economy have dominated the government’s resources and attention; the largest human trafficking problem is bonded labor in agriculture, brickmaking and, to a lesser extent, mining and carpet-making; children are bought, sold, rented, and placed in forced begging rings, domestic service, small shops, brick kilns, or prostitution; militant groups also force children to spy, fight, or die as suicide bombers, kidnapping the children or getting them from poor parents through sale or coercion; women and girls are forced into prostitution or marriages; Pakistani adults migrate to the Gulf States and African and European states for low-skilled jobs and sometimes become victims of forced labor, debt bondage, or prostitution; foreign adults and children from Afghanistan, Iran, Uzbekistan, Tanzania, and Bangladesh may be subject to forced labor, and foreign women may be sex trafficked in Pakistan, with refugees and minorities being most vulnerable

tier rating

Tier 2 Watch List – Pakistan does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so; officials continue to focus on trafficking as a transnational problem and lack the political will to address the issue unless pressured by the media and activists; the government does not prohibit and penalize all forms of trafficking and has not submitted a draft anti-trafficking bill to the National Assembly or Senate; authorities have yet to convict any offenders under the Bonded Labor System Act since it came into force in 1992; trafficking and smuggling continue to be conflated, with trafficking victims often prosecuted for prostitution or other crimes committed as a result of trafficking; Pakistan does not have systematic methods for identifying trafficking victims among vulnerable population and referring them to protective services (2014)