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 information on the population of Pakistan, see Demographics of Pakistan.
Pakistanis
پاكِستانى قَوم

Total population
c. 199 million[1]
Regions with significant populations
Pakistan 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[2]
 Oman 85,000
 Greece 80,000
 France 60,000
 Malaysia 56,000
 Germany 49,000
 Spain 47,000
 Bahrain 45,000
 Norway 39,134
 Australia 31,277
 Libya 30,000
 China 54,000[3]
 Denmark 21,642
 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 State 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,[4] and there are significant minorities belonging to the Iranic and Dard subgroups among others. As of 2011, the estimated population of Pakistan was over 199 million[1] making it the world's sixth most-populous country.

Ethnic sub-groups

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 small, 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.[5] 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.[5]

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

References

  1. 1 2 "U.S. and World Population Clock". United States Census Bureau.
  2. ↑ Qatar´s population by nationality bq magazine Retrieved 15 December 2014
  3. ↑ http://www.immigration.go.kr/HP/COM/bbs_003/ListShowData.do?strNbodCd=noti0096&strWrtNo=124&strAnsNo=A&strOrgGbnCd=104000&strRtnURL=IMM_6050&strAllOrgYn=N&strThisPage=1&strFilePath=imm
  4. ↑ Kachru, Braj B.; Kachru, Yamuna; Sridhar, S. N. (2008). Language in South Asia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 35. ISBN 978-1139465502. In most of the countries in South Asia - Pakistan, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Maldives - the majority of inhabitants speak an Indo-Aryan language (...)
  5. 1 2 Pakistani people
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