Umerkot District
Amarkot District | |
|---|---|
  | |
 Map of Sindh with Umerkot District highlighted | |
| Coordinates: 25°22′12″N 69°43′48″E / 25.37000°N 69.73000°E | |
| Country |  Pakistan |
| Province |  Sindh |
| Division | Mirpur Khas |
| Established | April 1993 |
| Abolished | December 2000 |
| Restored | December 2004 |
| Headquarters | Umerkot |
| Administrative Subdivisions | 04
|
| Government | |
| • Type | District Administration |
| • Deputy Commissioner | Naveed Ur Rehman Larak |
| • Constituensy | NA-213 Umerkot |
| Area | |
| • District of Sindh | 5,608 km2 (2,165 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 21 m (69 ft) |
| Highest elevation | 90 m (300 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 3 m (10 ft) |
| Population | |
| • District of Sindh | 1,159,831 |
| • Density | 206.8/km2 (536/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 258,859 (22.32%) |
| • Rural | 900,972 |
| Literacy | |
| • Literacy rate |
|
| Time zone | UTC+05:00 (PKT) |
| • Summer (DST) | DST is not observed |
| ZIP Code | |
| NWD (area) code | 238 |
| ISO 3166 code | PK-SD |
| Website | www |
Umerkot District, alternatively designated as Amarkot District, constitutes an administrative division situated within the southeastern region of Sindh province, Pakistan. The municipal seat of administration occupies the city of Umerkot, serving as district headquarters. Linguistic demographics indicate that approximately 95.1% of inhabitants speak Sindhi as their mother tongue, based upon findings from the 2023 Pakistani national census. According to contemporary census enumeration estimates, the district's total population amounts to 11,58,284 persons.
Notably, Umerkot is Pakistan's sole district wherein adherents of religious minorities are more in number over Muslim residents. Specifically, followers of Hindu Dharma comprise 54.7% of the aggregate population as documented in the 2023 census.
Demographics
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 664,797 | — |
| 2017 | 1,073,469 | +2.55% |
| 2023 | 1,159,831 | +1.30% |
| Sources:[3] | ||
As of the 2023 census, Umerkot district has 222,562 households and a population of 1,159,831.[4] The district has a sex ratio of 109.73 males to 100 females and a literacy rate of 38.69%: 51.17% for males and 25.11% for females.[1][5] 406,585 (35.1% of the surveyed population) are under 10 years of age.[6] 258,859 (22.32%) live in urban areas.[1]
Languages
Languages of Umerkot district (2023)[7]
At the time of the 2023 census, 95.13% of the population spoke Sindhi, 1.8% Punjabi and 1.4% Urdu as their first language.[7] Dhatki dialect of Sindhi is spoken in the district.[8]
Religion
| Religious group |
1941[10]:54–57[lower-alpha 1] | 2017[11] | 2023[9] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | |
Islam 
|
55,175 | 46.36% | 507,691 | 47.29% | 519,276 | 44.83% |
Hinduism 
|
54,055 | 45.41% | 559,824 | 52.15% | 633,114 | 54.66% |
| Tribal | 7,522 | 6.32% | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Sikhism 
|
1,943 | 1.63% | N/A | N/A | 36 | ~0% |
Christianity 
|
280 | 0.24% | 2,326 | 0.22% | 2,702 | 0.23% |
| Ahmadi | N/A | N/A | 3,594 | 0.33% | 3,093 | 0.27% |
| Others [lower-alpha 2] | 51 | 0.04% | 34 | 0.01% | 63 | 0.01% |
| Total Population | 119,026 | 100% | 1,073,469 | 100% | 1,158,284 | 100% |
| Taluk | Hindus | Muslims | Others |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kunri | 56.37% | 42.07% | 1.56% |
| Pithoro | 48.48% | 50.85% | 0.67% |
| Samaro | 53.98% | 45.87% | 0.15% |
| Umerkot | 55.52% | 44.3% | 0.18% |
Umerkot holds distinction as Pakistan's sole district with a Hindu religious majority comprising approximately 55% of the populace, while Muslim communities constitute the remaining 45%. This demographic profile renders Umerkot unique within the federal structure of Pakistan.
The Umarkot Shiv Mandir, located within the district capital of Umerkot, ranks among the most venerable and spiritually significant Hindu temples across Sindh province. Annual observances of Maha Shivratri at this sacred site represent one of the largest religious celebrations conducted throughout Pakistan, attracting an estimated congregation numbering approximately 250,000 devotees.
Notes
- ↑ Note: 1941 census data is for Samaro and Umerkot talukas of Tharparkar District, which roughly corresponds to the contemporary district.
- ↑ Including Jainism, Christianity, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Ad-Dharmis, or not stated
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "7th Population and Housing Census - Detailed Results: Table 1" (PDF). Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
- ↑ "Literacy rate, enrolments, and out-of-school population by sex and rural/urban, CENSUS-2023, SINDH" (PDF).
- ↑ "Population by administrative units 1951-1998" (PDF). Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
- ↑ "7th Population and Housing Census - Detailed Results: Table 20" (PDF). Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
- ↑ "7th Population and Housing Census - Detailed Results: Table 12" (PDF). Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
- ↑ "7th Population and Housing Census - Detailed Results: Table 5" (PDF). Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "7th Population and Housing Census - Detailed Results: Table 11" (PDF). Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
- ↑ Tunio, Hafeez (2014-12-05). "Peaceful coexistence: An oasis of religious harmony in Thar desert | The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. Archived from the original on 2025-05-28. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 "7th Population and Housing Census - Detailed Results: Table 9" (PDF). Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
- ↑ "CENSUS OF INDIA, 1941 VOLUME XII SINDH PROVINCE" (PDF).
- ↑ "District Statistics (Census - 2017) - Umerkot District". Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.