Pakistanis

"Pakistani" redirects here. For other uses, see Pakistani (disambiguation).

This article is about people from Pakistan as a pan-ethnic identity and nation. For the population of Pakistan,, see Demographics of Pakistan.

Pakistanis
پاكِستانى قَوم

Flag of Pakistan
Total population
c. 199 million
Regions with significant populations
Pakistan:199,085,847 (2015)
Saudi Arabia	1,500,000+
United Kingdom	1,460,000+
United Arab Emirates	1,200,000+
United States	700,000
Canada	415,310
Italy	151,000+
Kuwait	150,000+
Qatar	90,000
Oman	85,000
Greece	80,000
France	60,000
Malaysia	56,000
China	54,000
Germany	49,000
Spain	47,000
Bahrain	45,000
Norway	39,134
Australia	31,277
Libya	30,000
Denmark	21,642
Belgium	14,500+
Japan	10,000+
Sweden	5000+
Czech Republic	510
Peru	100+
Languages
Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashto, Balochi, Kashmiri, Brahui, Balti and others
Religion
Islam 97% (majority Sunni, while 20% being Shia, also Zahiri Muslims and Ahmadiyya) Other Religions: Hinduism, Christianity, Bahai Faith, Sikhism, Zoroastrianism

Pakistanis (Urdu: پاكِستانى قوم‎; Pakistani Qaum) are the people who are citizens of the modern Islamic Republic of Pakistan and their descendants. Pakistan is a multi-ethnic and multilingual state: the majority of its people belong linguistically to the Indo-Aryan group, while the remaining minority mainly belongs to the Iranic subgroup, apart from a small amount of other language groups and families. As of 2011, the estimated population of Pakistan was over 199 million making it the world's sixth most-populous country.

Ethnic sub-groups

Main article: Ethnic groups in Pakistan

Pakistan has one of the world's fastest growing populations. As the country is located in South Asia, Pakistani people are a mixture of various ethnic groups. Several ethnic groups, invading armies and the migrations to the region by people passing through on their way to and from Indus have left their imprint on the population.

Pakistani people belong predominantly to seven main ethno-linguistic groups: Punjabis, Sindhis, Seraikis, Pashtuns, Mohajirs, Balochs, and Kashmiris, with substantial numbers of Brahuis, Hindkowans, Shins, Burushos, Wakhis, Baltis, Chitralis and other minority ethnic groups in the remote north of the country.

The Baloch people inhabit the southwest of the country. The Punjabi people, the largest ethnic group in Pakistan, reside predominantly in Central and some Northern regions as well. Punjabis have been the primary inhabitants of the historical Punjab region which derives its name from the Persian Panj meaning five (5) and Ab meaning water(s); hence the land of five rivers or Panjab/Punjab. Considerable population of Punjabis live in Karachi as well. The Sindhi people, on the other hand have been settled in the southeast of the country and gave their name to the mighty Indus/Sindhu river, while regional groups such as the Seraiki people have inhabited the regions between Punjab and Sindh. The Kashmiri people are an important ethnic group of the Kashmir region in the north. There are other important indigenous people like the Balti, Hunzakots, and Gilgiti people(s) of the northern territories of Gilgit through whose territory ran the ancient Silk Route connecting Asia and Europe. The Chitrali people are another indigenous people who live high in the mountains in the northwest. Along with these main groups, there are smaller communities of Sheedi's who are descendants of African sailors and warriors who are believed to have arrived from the horn of Africa as well as Muhajir people who came as refugees from India when Pakistan attained its independence from Britain in 1947. There are countless other ethnic groups that make up part of Pakistani's mosaic such as the Bengalis, Burmese, Hazara, Tajik, Arab and Hakka; the last are an ethnic group that traces its origin to China.

Culture

Main article: Culture of Pakistan

Pakistan has a heterogeneous culture, with all of the provinces maintaining differing social mores. However, Islam is the driving force behind the unity of varying ethnic groups from different parts of the country, and has significantly shaped the values and traditions of Pakistanis. Pakistani culture falls in the category of high context.

Languages

Main article: Languages of Pakistan

Urdu is Pakistan's national language. Urdu was chosen as a token of unity and as a lingua franca so as not to give any native Pakistani language preference over the other. It is mostly learned as a second language, with nearly 93% of Pakistan's population having a mother tongue other than Urdu. Urdu is spoken as a first, second or at times third tongue by almost all Pakistani people. Numerous regional and provincial languages are spoken as first languages by the ethno-linguistic groups making up the country, with Punjabi having a plurality of native speakers with 45% of the total population. English is spoken at an official level and in most elite circles, as a legacy of the long British Raj colonial rule in the region.

Many Pakistanis worldwide speak the various regional languages of Pakistan such as: Urdu, Saraiki, Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashto, Balochi, Kashmiri and Arabic.

Religion

Main article: Religion in Pakistan

Further information: Islam in Pakistan

The largest religion practiced in Pakistan is Islam. Other religious groups in Pakistan include Judaism, Sikhism, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity and Ahmadiyya.

Diaspora

Main article: Pakistani diaspora

There are large populations of Pakistani ancestry around the world, due to emigration. The population of Pakistanis abroad is considered to exceed seven million and can be found in the Middle East, North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.

Notable people

Main article: List of Pakistanis

Further reading

• Starr, L.A. Frontier Folk of the Afghan Border—and Beyond. London: Church Missionary Society (1920).