Please note this is a Working Document
Profile last updated: 21 December 2011
Pakistan is located within South Asia and close to the regions of Central Asia and the greater Middle East. It covers 796,095 square kilometres and shares borders with Afghanistan and Iran to the west, China to the northeast and India to the east. With a steadily increasing population of approximately 173.5 million as of 2010 (UN DESA n.d.), Pakistan is the world’s 6th most populated country and second in South Asia after India. The country has an extremely diverse landscape of desert, plains, hills, mountains and forests. The official language is English and the national language is Urdu (Pakistan Mission to the UN n.d.). Pakistan has faced several national crises, such as the earthquake of 2005 and flooding in 2010, that have made Pakistan’s development of growing interest to the international community (UN Pakistan n.d.).
| Quick Facts | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Population (million)* | 173.5 | Rural Population (%) | 63 |
| GDP per capita (PPP US$) | 2,688 | Adult HIV prevalence (%) | 0.1 |
| Primary Gross Enrolment (%) | 95 | Life Expectancy (years) | 65 |
| Primary Net Enrolment (%) | 74 | Adult Literacy (%) | 55.5 |
| Out of School Children (%) | 26 | HDI** | 0.504 |
| Public Spending on Education as % of GDP | 2.4 | EDI*** | 0.656 |
