More information Year, Pop. ...

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1881	138,878	—
1891	159,947	+15.2%
1901	186,884	+16.8%
1911	228,687	+22.4%
1921	281,781	+23.2%
1931	400,075	+42.0%
1941	671,659	+67.9%
1951	1,130,000	+68.2%
1961	1,630,000	+44.2%
1972	2,198,890^[129]	+34.9%
1981	2,988,486^[129]	+35.9%
1998	5,209,088^[129]	+74.3%
2017	11,126,285^[129]	+113.6%
2023	13,004,135^[129]	+16.9%

Close

Population

The results of the 2017 Census determined the population of Lahore to be 11,126,285,^[130] with an annual growth rate of 4.07% since 1998.^[131] Gender-wise, 52.35% of the population are male, 47.64% are female, and 0.01% are transgender.^[131] Lahore is a demographically young city, with over 40% of its inhabitants below the age of 15.^[132]

Tribes and backgrounds in the Lahore district^[133]

Punjabi—Arains (40%)

Kashmiris of Punjab (30%)

Punjabi—Rajputs (5%)

Punjabi—Kamboj (5%)

Miscellaneous (20%)

Tribes and background

At the time of the 2017 Pakistani census, the largest tribal group were Arain Punjabis, constituting 40%, followed by Punjabi Kashmiris at 30% with other groups such as Rajput Punjabis and Kamboh Punjabis at 5% each.^[134]

Controversy about the city's Pashtun population

Some Pashtun nationalist parties argue that the Pashtun population of Lahore in the 2017 census has been underestimated, with Ameer Bahadur Khan, provincial general secretary of Awami National Party, putting their numbers at 1.5 million, while Gul Muhammad Regwal, a member of Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, claiming more than 1 million including 300,000 in the Walled City alone, most of these having moved over the last 20 years, including due to military operations, but remaining uncounted as they're not considered permanent residents of Lahore.^[135]

Religion

More information Religion in Lahore District 2023 ...

Religion in Lahore District 2023^[136]
Religion			Percent
Islam			95.26%
Christianity			4.64%
Others			0.1%

Close

According to the 2023 Census, the vast majority of Lahore's population are Muslims (95.26%), up from 94.7% in 2017. Other religions include Christians (4.64%, slightly less than 5.14% in 2017)^[10] and small numbers of Ahmadis, Baháʼís, Hindus, Parsis, and Sikhs. There is also a small but longstanding Zoroastrian community.

Since Lahore contains some of Sikhism's holiest sites, it is a major pilgrimage destination for Sikhs.^[137] Lahore's first church was built during the reign of Emperor Akbar in the late 16th century, but was then leveled by Shah Jahan in 1632.^[138] Due to the few numbers of Hindus living in Lahore, the only two functional Hindu temples in the city are the Shri Krishna Mandir and the Valmiki Mandir.^[139]

More information Religious group, 1881: 520 ...

Religious groups in Lahore City (1868−2023)^{[lower-alpha 3]}
Religious group	1868^[141]^{[lower-alpha 4]}		1881^[142]^[143]^: 520		1891^[144]^: 68		1901^[145]^: 44		1911^[146]^: 20		1921^[147]^: 23		1931^[148]^: 26		1941^[140]^: 32		2017^[149]		2023^[150]
Religious group	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%
Islam	70,974	56.18%	86,413	57.85%	102,280	57.83%	119,601	58.93%	129,801	56.76%	149,044	52.89%	249,315	58.01%	433,170	64.49%	10,530,816	94.7%	12,363,149	95.26%
Hinduism ^{[lower-alpha 5]}	40,551	32.1%	53,641	35.91%	62,077	35.1%	70,196	34.59%	77,267	33.79%	107,783	38.25%	139,125	32.37%	179,422	26.71%	2,670	0.02%	2,811	0.02%
Sikhism	3,520	2.79%	4,627	3.1%	7,306	4.13%	7,023	3.46%	12,877	5.63%	12,833	4.55%	23,477	5.46%	34,021	5.07%	—	—	715	0.01%
Christianity	—	—	529^{[lower-alpha 6]}	0.35%	4,697	2.66%	5,558	2.74%	8,436	3.69%	11,287	4.01%	16,875	3.93%	21,495	3.2%	571,365	5.14%	602,431	4.64%
Jainism	—	—	227	0.15%	339	0.19%	420	0.21%	467	0.2%	474	0.17%	791	0.18%	1,094	0.16%	—	—	—	—
Zoroastrianism	—	—	—	—	132	0.07%	166	0.08%	198	0.09%	177	0.06%	150	0.03%	—	—	—	—	77	0%
Judaism	—	—	—	—	14	0.01%	—	—	13	0.01%	13	0%	0	0%	—	—	—	—	—	—
Buddhism	—	—	—	—	0	0%	0	0%	128	0.06%	170	0.06%	14	0%	—	—	—	—	—	—
Ahmadiyya	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	13,433	0.12%	7,139	0.06%
Others	11,284	8.93%	3,932	2.63%	9	0.01%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	2,457	0.37%	1,701	0.02%	2,339	0.02%
Total population	126,329	100%	149,369	100%	176,854	100%	202,964	100%	228,687	100%	281,781	100%	429,747	100%	671,659	100%	11,119,985	100%	12,978,661	100%

Close

Languages

Languages by number of native speakers in the Lahore district^[151]

Punjabi (73.58%)

Urdu (21.1%)

Other (5.22%)

The Punjabi language is the most-widely spoken native language in Lahore, with 73.58% of Lahore counting it as their first language according to the 2023 Census.^[152] Lahore is the largest Punjabi-speaking city in the world. According to the 2023 Pakistani census 21.1% speak Urdu, 2.06% Pashto, 2.01% Mewati and 2.78% other mother tongues.^[153]^[154]

Urdu and English are used as official languages and as mediums of instruction and media administration. However, Punjabi is also taught at graduation level and used in theatres, films, and newspapers from Lahore.^[155]^[156] Several Lahore-based prominent educational leaders, researchers, and social commentators have demanded that the Punjabi language should be declared as the medium of instruction at the primary level and be used officially in the Punjab Assembly, Lahore.^[157]^[158]