Gadhe aur Insaan; Massive surge reported in Pakistani donkey, human population

Pakistan’s Economic Survey 2023-24 has revealed a shocking rise in the population of both donkeys and humans in the country.

Pakistan’s donkey population has climbed to 5.9 million, marking a significant increase from the previous financial year’s count of 5.8 million, according to the survey.

The upward trend in donkey numbers has persisted over the past two years, with an additional 0.2 million donkeys born within this time.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s population has increased by 16.3 percent to 241.5 million compared to 2017 (excluding Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan), showing that the country is facing a population explosion.

According to Economic Survey 2023-24, population growth rate at the national level is 2.55 percent. In contrast, the growth rate in urban areas is 3.65 percent, which is higher than the population growth rate in rural areas—1.90 percent—due to rural-urban migration.

Population density increased from 260.88 persons per square km in 2017 to 303 in 2023. Additionally, the average household size has decreased from 6.39 in 2017 to 6.30 in 2023.

Pakistan’s urban population increased from 75.67 million to 93.75 million between 2017 and 2023, making it one of the most urbanised nations in South Asia.

Almost 39 percent of its population lives in urban areas. Urbanisation impacts a country’s economy and development, leading to changes in various areas such as labour market opportunities, family structures, education, health, environment management, security systems, and governance.

The literacy rate has gone up in all provinces, with Punjab (increased 66.1 percent to 66.3 percent), Sindh (61.6 percent to 61.8 percent), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (52.4 percent to 55.1 percent), and Balochistan (53.9 percent to 54.5 percent).