Lahore, Pakistan Population

The city of Lahore, Pakistan is the capital of the province of Punjab. It is the second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and the 18th largest in the world. It is located on the upper Indus plain on the Ravi River. The history of the city stretches back so far into antiquity that its true origin story is hard to sort out. However, over the years the city has grown to become a large, populated, and powerful city of 12 million people in the urban area, with just over 6 million in the city area. This has risen from just under 900,000 residents in the 1950s. In the past five years, the city’s population rose by another 2 million, representing an annual change of just under 4.4% per year.

The city stretches over 1,172 square kilometers, almost doubling in size in last fifteen years. But even with the growth, Lahore’s population still stretches its boundaries and is only one of the most heavily populated cities in the world. It has a current population density of 6,300 people per square kilometer. Within the city of Lahore, there are nine administrative towns and one military designated area.

Destined to become one of the world’s largest cities

With a population already pushing well past 12 million people, Lahore is already a megacity. However, if the city’s population continues to grow at this rate it will quickly grow to be one of the world’s largest cities. It’s predicted that by 2050, Lahore will have 25 million people living there. As the city continues to grow haphazardly in every direction, policy makers struggle to create a plan that will help to house, feed, and provide social services for the city’s ballooning population.

An economic powerhouse that still struggles with poverty

Despite progress made in Pakistan to reduce issues of poverty, many large cities in the country still struggle with issues of wealth distribution. While Lahore’s high population and size help contribute to its prosperity, it’s also estimated that 30% of the region is considered to be slums. These slums are densely populated and lacking in basic necessities, such as clean drinking water, health care, and security.

The slums in Lahore are also a result of people from rural areas of Pakistan moving to the city in hopes of a better life. However, many who move there are without skills and struggle to find employment and end up living in the slums instead.

The education capital of Pakistan

There are more post-secondary institutions in Lahore than in any other city in Pakistan. The city is the largest producer of professionals in multiple fields, including technology, IT, law, science, medicine, pharmacology, biotechnology, and more. Most of the reputable universities are public institutions. However there has also been a recent uptick in the founding of private colleges and universities. There are almost 50 colleges and universities in Lahore and the literacy rate of the city is 74%. Lahore is also home to the University of the Punjab, Pakistan’s oldest university, founded in 1882.

Tourism to Lahore

The city of Lahore has become a major tourist destination in Pakistan. Its many historical, religious, and architectural wonders continue to attract visitors. There were over 51,000 tourists that visited the Royal Trail inside the Delhi gardens in 2015 alone, and this was a ten-fold increase over visits from the five years previously.

Tourists come to see things like the Walled City of Lahore, the Lahore Fort, the Sheesh Mahal, and the Shalimar Gardens. Lahore is also home to the Badshasi Mosque. Constructed in 1673, it was the largest mosque in the world when originally constructed.