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===References===
===References===
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}
== Read also ==
** [[Divisions of Balochistan]]
** [[Divisions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]]
** [[Divisions of Punjab, Pakistan|Divisions of Punjab]]
** [[Divisions of Sindh]]
** [[Divisions of Azad Kashmir]]
** [[Divisions of Gilgit-Baltistan]]
* [[Districts of Pakistan]]
** [[List of districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa|Districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]]
** [[List of districts in Sindh|Districts of Sindh, Pakistan]]
** [[List of districts in Punjab, Pakistan|Districts of Punjab, Pakistan]]
** [[List of districts in Balochistan|Districts of Balochistan, Pakistan]]
** [[List of districts in Azad Kashmir|Districts of Azad Kashmir]]
** [[List of districts in Gilgit-Baltistan|Districts of Gilgit-Baltistan]]
* [[Former administrative units of Pakistan]]
* [[Local government in Pakistan]]

Revision as of 14:02, 14 July 2026

Divisions of Pakistan
पाकिस्तान के प्रभाग
Also known as:
پاکستان کے ڈویژن[A 1]
Map of divisions of Pakistan
CategorySecond-level administrative division
LocationIslamic Republic of Pakistan
Number37 (as of 2024)
GovernmentDivisional government
SubdivisionsDistricts
Tehsils
Union councils
Pakistan
This article is part of a series on the
politics and government of
Pakistan
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Azad Kashmir government

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Constitution of Pakistan

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Elections

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Regional topics


The administrative units of Pakistan comprise four provinces, two territories in the Kashmir region, and a capital territory. The provinces and territories are further subdivided into 37 divisions, which are subsequently divided into districts, tehsils, and finally union councils. The division system was abolished in 2000 but was subsequently restored in 2008.

These divisions do not encompass the Islamabad Capital Territory. The formerly Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), which previously held the same administrative status as provinces, were merged into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and incorporated into neighbouring divisions within that province in 2018.

History

The administrative divisions constituted an integral tier of government from colonial times, with the Governor's provinces of British India being subdivided into divisions, which were further divided into districts. At the time of creation in 1947, the new nation of Pakistan comprised two geographically separated wings – eastern and western. Three of Pakistan's provinces were subdivided into ten administrative divisions. The single province in the eastern wing, East Bengal, comprised four divisions – Chittagong, Dacca, Khulna and Rajshahi. West Punjab province contained four divisions – Lahore, Multan, Rawalpindi, and Sargodha. The North-West Frontier Province (as it was then known) had two divisions – Dera Ismail Khan and Peshawar. Most of the former Sind Province became Hyderabad Division. The majority of divisions were named after their respective divisional capitals, though some exceptions existed.

From 1955 to 1970, the One Unit policy consolidated the administrative structure into only two provinces – East and West Pakistan. East Pakistan retained the same divisions as East Bengal previously possessed, while West Pakistan progressively gained seven new divisions to supplement the original six divisions. The Baluchistan States Union was reorganised into Kalat Division, while the former Baluchistan Chief Commissioner's Province became Quetta Division. The princely State of Khairpur, combined with portions of Hyderabad division, formed Khairpur Division. The former princely state of Bahawalpur was established as Bahawalpur Division, thereby joining West Punjab. In 1959, the Federal Capital Territory was absorbed into West Pakistan, and in 1960, it was merged with the district of Las Bela to create the Karachi-Bela Division. In 1969, the princely states of Chitral, Dir and Swat were incorporated into West Pakistan as the Malakand Division, with Saidu serving as the divisional headquarters. Khairpur division was abolished in 1975 and replaced with Sukkur Division. In 1980, Sukkur division was bifurcated to establish Larkana division. Mirpurkhas division was created in 1990 through the bifurcation of Hyderabad division.

Current divisions by administrative units

The current administrative structure of Pakistan comprises 37 divisions in total, distributed across five provinces and two Pakistan-administered regions of Kashmir. Within the four provinces, there are 31 divisions: Balochistan contains 8 divisions, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has 7 divisions, Punjab features 10 divisions, and Sindh encompasses 6 divisions. These divisions are accompanied by their respective population figures as recorded in the Census of Pakistan 2023.[1][2][3][4] The 6 divisions located in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Provinces

Balochistan

Eight divisions of the Province of Balochistan
This section is an excerpt from Divisions of Balochistan § List of divisions[edit]

In Pakistan, the division is the administrative unit, which is higher in hierarchy than a district, but lower in hierarchy than a province.

Division[5] Districts[5][6] Area[5] Population (2023)[5] Population Density (2023)[5] Literacy rate (2023)[5] Map Capital
Khuzdar Division 41,208 km2 (15,910 sq mi) 1,547,812 37.5/km2 39.39%
Khuzdar
Lasbela Division 44,463 km2 (17,167 sq mi) 859,935 19.3/km2 39.05%
Lasbela
Loralai Division 17,047 km2 (6,582 sq mi) 1,073,686 62.98/km2 43.89%
Loralai
Zhob Division 27,128 km2 (10,474 sq mi) 957,579 34.19/km2 34.33%
Zhob
Makuran Division 52,067 km2 (20,103 sq mi) 1,875,872 36.03/km2 47.69%
Turbat
Naseerabad Division 9,447 km2 (3,648 sq mi) 1,601,347 169.5/km2 34.23%
Dera Murad Jamali
Quetta Division 9,434 km2 (3,642 sq mi) 2,908,763 308.3/km2 51.68%
Quetta
Pishin Division 11,112 km2 (4,290 sq mi) 1,663,671 292.55/km2 51.68%
Pishin
Rakhshan Division 98,596 km2 (38,068 sq mi) 940,001 10.55/km2 36.84%
Kharan
Koh-e-Sulaiman Division 14,963 km2 (5,777 sq mi) 635,552 42.47/km2 34.70%
Rakhni
Sevi Division 15,934 km2 (6,152 sq mi) 1,046,548 34.0/km2 34.70%
Sibi

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Colours correspond to Divisions of the Province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
This section is an excerpt from Divisions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa § List of divisions[edit]

In Pakistan, the division is the administrative unit which is higher than a district, but lower than a province. Divisions and are separated by color on the map.

Division Districts[7][8][9] Population (2023)[7] Area[7] Population Density (2023)[7] Literacy (2023)[7] Map
Bannu Division 3,092,078 9,975 km2 (3,851 sq mi) 309.98/km2 42.11% File:
Dera Ismail Khan Division 3,188,779 18,854 km2 (7,280 sq mi) 169.13/km2 41.73% File:
Hazara Division 6,188,736 17,064 km2 (6,588 sq mi) 362.68/km2 60.95% File:
Kohat Division 3,752,436 12,377 km2 (4,779 sq mi) 303.18/km2 50.89% File:
Malakand Division 9,959,399 31,162 km2 (12,032 sq mi) 319.6/km2 47.51% File:
Mardan Division 4,639,498 3,175 km2 (1,226 sq mi) 1461.26/km2 56.90% File:
Peshawar Division 10,035,171 9,134 km2 (3,527 sq mi) 1098.66/km2 51.32% File:

Punjab

This section is an excerpt from Divisions of Punjab, Pakistan § List of divisions by population over the years.

Name Headquarters Districts Area

(km2)[10]

Population (2023)[10] Population Density (2023)[10] Literacy

rate (2023)[10]

Map
Bahawalpur[11] Bahawalpur 45,588 13,400,009 293.94/km2 52.13%
Dera Ghazi Khan[12] Dera Ghazi Khan 38,778 12,892,465 332.47/km2 48.00%
Faisalabad[13] Faisalabad 17,918 16,228,526 905.71/km2 68.80%
Gujranwala[14] Gujranwala 7,779 11,416,686 937.11/km2 76.41%
Gujrat[15] Gujrat 9,438 7,362,182 670/km2 76.41%
Lahore[16] Lahore 11,727 22,772,710 1941.90/km2 73.63%
Multan[17] Multan 15,211 14,085,102 925.98/km2 59.43%
Rawalpindi[18] Rawalpindi 18,823 10,804,250 574.50 79.9%
Sahiwal[19] Sahiwal 10,302 8,533,471 828.33/km2 61.02%
Sargodha[20] Sargodha 26,360 9,591,275 263.86/km2 63.19%

Sindh

This section is an excerpt from Divisions of Sindh, Pakistan § List of the Divisions by area, population, density, literacy rate etc.[edit]
Name Headquarter Districts Area

(km2)[21]

Population (2023)[21] Pop. Density (2023)[21] Literacy rate (2023)[21] Map
Hyderabad Division Hyderabad 48,670 1,16,59,246 239.56/km2 45.38%
Karachi Division Karachi 3,527 2,03,82,881 5,779.10/km2 75.11%
Larkana Division Larkana 15,213 70,93,706 466.29/km2 44.53%
Mirpur Khas Division Mirpur Khas 28,170 46,19,624 153.99/km2 40.41%
Shaheed Benazirabad Division Nawabshah 18,176 59,30,649 326.29/km2 49.91%
Sukkur Division Sukkur 27,158 60,10,041 221.30/km2 59.72%

Pakistan-oocupied Kashmir

Divisions of Azad Jammu & Kashmir
Division Area (km2) Population
1998 Census		 Population
2017 Census 		Population
2023 Census		 Capital
Mirpur 4,388 1,198,249 1,651,018 N/A Mirpur
Muzaffarabad 6,117 745,733 1,072,150 N/A Muzaffarabad
Poonch 2,792 1,028,541 1,322,198 N/A Rawalakot
Divisions of Gilgit-Baltistan
Division Area (km2) Population
1998 Census		 Population
2017 Census 		Population
2023 Census		 Capital
Gilgit - N/A N/A N/A Gilgit
Baltistan - N/A N/A N/A Skardu
Diamer - N/A N/A N/A Chilas

List of all divisions by population over the years

Data from 2023, 2017, 1998, 1981, 1972 censuses[22][23]
Division Pop.

2023

Pop.

2017

Pop.

1998

Pop.

1981

Pop.

1972

Pop.

1961

Pop.

1951

Province
Islamabad 23,63,863 20,06,572 8,05,235 3,40,286 – – – Islamabad
Bahawalpur 1,34,00,009 1,14,64,031 76,35,591 40,68,636 – – – Punjab
Lahore 2,27,72,710 1,93,98,081 1,20,15,649 71,83,097 – – –
Dera Ghazi Khan 1,28,92,465 1,10,14,398 65,03,590 37,46,837 – – –
Faisalabad 1,62,28,526 1,41,77,081 98,85,685 66,67,425 – – –
Multan 1,40,85,102 1,22,65,161 84,47,557 54,08,561 – – –
Rawalpindi 1,08,04,250 1,00,07,821 66,59,528 44,32,729 – – –
Sargodha 95,91,275 81,81,499 56,79,766 39,30,628 – – –
Sahiwal 85,33,471 53,62,866 42,71,247 – – – –
Gujranwala 1,14,16,686 97,83,183 61,01,052 39,34,861 32,18,873 25,87,061 18,35,178
Gujrat 73,62,182 63,37,678 46,85,773 32,64,764 27,13,675 18,72,505 16,26,496
Mirpur Khas 46,19,624 42,28,683 25,85,417 15,01,882 – – – Sindh
Hyderabad 1,16,59,246 1,05,92,635 68,29,537 46,78,290 – – –
Karachi 2,03,82,881 1,60,51,521 98,56,318 54,37,984 – – –
Larkana 70,93,706 61,92,380 42,10,650 27,46,201 – – –
Shaheed Benazirabad 59,30,649 52,82,277 35,10,036 25,60,448 – – –
Sukkur 60,10,041 55,38,555 34,47,935 21,03,861 – – –
Dera Ismail Khan 31,88,779 20,19,017 10,91,211 6,35,494 – – – KPK
Bannu 30,92,078 20,44,074 11,65,692 7,10,786 – – –
Kohat 37,52,436 22,18,971 13,07,969 7,58,772 – – –
Hazara 61,88,736 53,25,121 35,05,581 27,01,257 – – –
Malakand 99,59,399 75,14,694 42,62,700 24,66,767 – – –
Mardan 46,39,498 39,97,677 24,86,904 15,06,500 – – –
Peshawar 1,00,35,171 74,03,817 39,23,588 22,81,752 – – –
Kalat 27,21,018 25,09,230 14,57,722 10,44,174 – – – Balochistan
Nasirabad 20,44,021 5,91,144 10,76,708 6,99,669 – – –
Makran 18,75,872 14,89,015 8,32,753 6,52,602 – – –
Quetta 42,59,163 41,74,562 16,99,957 8,80,618 – – –
Sibi 11,56,748 10,38,010 6,30,901 3,05,768 – – –
Zhob 9,27,579 8,06,238 4,68,695 3,61,647 1,71,989 – –
Loralai 8,70,000 7,36,209 4,87,748 – – – –
Rakhshan 10,40,001 7,37,162 4,09,473 – – – –
Mirpur – 16,51,018 11,98,249 – – – – AJK
Muzaffarabad – 10,72,150 7,45,733 – – – –
Poonch – 13,22,198 10,28,541 – – – –
Gilgit – – – – – – – Gilgit-Baltistan
Baltistan – – – – – – –
Diamer – – – – – – –

Notes and References

Notes

  1. ↑ पाकिस्तान के डिवीज़न्

References

  1. ↑ "Households, Populations, Household Size and Annual Growth Rate | Balochistan" (PDF). pbs.gov.pk. Pakistan Bureau Statistics. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
  2. ↑ "Households, Populations, Household Size and Annual Growth Rate | Punjab" (PDF). pbs.gov.pk. Pakistan Bureau Statistics. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
  3. ↑ "Households, Populations, Household Size and Annual Growth Rate | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa" (PDF). pbs.gov.pk. Pakistan Bureau Statistics. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
  4. ↑ "Households, Populations, Household Size and Annual Growth Rate | Sindh" (PDF). pbs.gov.pk. Pakistan Bureau Statistics. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 "Table 12: Literacy Rate, Enrolment And Out Of School Population By Sex And Rural/Urban 2023" (PDF).
  6. ↑ "Provincial cabinet approves three new districts". www.nation.com. Retrieved 2023-07-03.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 "Literacy Rate, Enrollment, and Out of School Population by Sex and Rural/Urban: Census 2023 - Punjab Province" (PDF). www.pbs.gov.pk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2025-09-30.
  8. ↑ "KP govt notifies new divisions following FATA merger". Pakistan Today. 20 July 2018. Archived from the original on 2 July 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  9. ↑ "KP Districts". kp.gov.pk. Retrieved 2022-05-13.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 "Literacy Rate, Enrollment, and Out of School Population by Sex and Rural/Urban: Census 2023 - Punjab Province" (PDF). www.pbs.gov.pk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2025-09-30.
  11. ↑ "TMA Bahawalpur Division | Local Government and Community Development". lgcd.punjab.gov.pk. Retrieved 2019-04-05.
  12. ↑ "TMA Dera Ghazi Khan Division | Local Government and Community Development". lgcd.punjab.gov.pk. Retrieved 2019-04-05.
  13. ↑ "TMA Faisalabad Division | Local Government and Community Development". lgcd.punjab.gov.pk. Retrieved 2019-04-05.
  14. ↑ "Gujranwala Division | Local Government and Community Development". lgcd.punjab.gov.pk. Retrieved 2019-04-05.
  15. ↑ "Gujrat Division | Local Government and Community Development". lgcd.punjab.gov.pk. Retrieved 2019-04-05.
  16. ↑ "Lahore Division | Local Government and Community Development". lgcd.punjab.gov.pk. Archived from the original on 2021-07-09. Retrieved 2019-04-05.
  17. ↑ "Multan Division | Local Government and Community Development". lgcd.punjab.gov.pk. Retrieved 2019-04-05.
  18. ↑ "TMA Rawalpindi Division | Local Government and Community Development". lgcd.punjab.gov.pk. Retrieved 2019-04-05.
  19. ↑ "Sahiwal Division | Local Government and Community Development". lgcd.punjab.gov.pk. Retrieved 2019-04-05.
  20. ↑ "Sargodha Division | Local Government and Community Development". lgcd.punjab.gov.pk. Retrieved 2019-04-05.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 "Population 2023 tables sindh" (PDF).
  22. ↑ "Info" (PDF). www.pbs.gov.pk.
  23. ↑ "Pakistan Divisions". www.statoids.com.

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