PEOPLE
The majority of Pakistan's population lives in the Indus River valley and in an arc formed by the cities of Faisalabad, Lahore, Rawalpindi/Islamabad, and Peshawar. Although Urdu is an official language of Pakistan, it is spoken as a first language by only 8% of the population; 48% speak Punjabi, 12% Sindhi, 10% Saraiki, 8% Pushtu, 3% Baloch, and 3% other. Urdu, Punjabi, Pushtu, and Baloch are Indo-European languages. English is the other official language, and is widely used in government, commerce, the officer ranks of the military, and in many institutions of higher learning.
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Pakistan(i).
Population (2007 est.): 164,741,924.
Annual growth rate (2006 est.): 2.09%.
Ethnic groups: Punjabi, Sindhi, Pushtun, Baloch, Muhajir (i.e., Urdu-speaking immigrants from India and their descendants), Saraiki, and Hazara.
Religions: Muslim 97%; small minorities of Christians, Hindus, and others.
Languages: Urdu (national and official), English, Punjabi, Sindhi, Pushtu, Baloch, Hindko, Brahui, Saraiki (Punjabi variant).
Education: Literacy (2004 est.)--48.7%; male 61.7%; female 35.2%.
Health: Infant mortality rate (2006 est.)--68.84/1,000. Life expectancy (2006 est.)--men 62.73 yrs., women 64.83 yrs.
Work force (2004 est.): Agriculture--42%; services--38%; industry--20%.
