Editing Languages of Pakistan (section)

== Statistics ==
{{Pie chart|thumb=right|caption=Languages of Pakistan (2023 census)<ref name="2023 census">{{cite web |title=Population by Mother Tongue, Sex and Rural/Urban, Census–2023 |url=https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files/population/2023/tables/national/table_11.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241220005033/https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files/population/2023/tables/national/table_11.pdf |archive-date=20 December 2024|website=pbs.gov.pk |publisher=[[Pakistan Bureau Statistics]]}}</ref>|label1=[[Punjabi language|Punjabi]]|value1=36.98|color1=Red|label2=[[Pashto]]|value2=18.15|color2=Yellow|label3=[[Sindhi language|Sindhi]]|value3=14.31|color3=Purple|label4=[[Saraiki language|Saraiki]]|value4=12.00|color4=Orange|label5=[[Urdu]]|value5=9.25|color5=Green|label6=[[Balochi language|Balochi]]|value6=3.38|color6=Blue|label7=[[Hindko]]|value7=2.32|color7=Lime|label8=[[Brahui language|Brahui]]|value8=1.16|color8=Violet|label9=[[Mewati language|Mewati]]|value9=0.46|color9=Black|value10=0.43|label10=[[Kohistani language|Kohistani]]|value11=0.11|value12=0.05|label11=[[Kashmiri language|Kashmiri]]|label12=[[Shina language|Shina]]|value13=0.02|label13=[[Balti language|Balti]]|value14=0.003|label14=[[Kalasha language|Kalasha]]|value15=1.38|label15=Others|color10=Brown|color11=Aqua|color12=Pink|color14=White|color15=Grey}}
{| class="sortable wikitable"
|+'''Census history of major languages''' 
!Rank
!Language
!1951 census{{efn|name=1951 and 1961|Only include statistics for [[West Pakistan]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=India - Population, Vol-1, Pakistan - Census 1961 |url=https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/31528 |access-date= |website=censusindia.gov.in |pages=30–39}}</ref>}}
!1961 census{{efn|name=1951 and 1961}}
!1972 census
!1981 census<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Division |first1=Population Census Organisation Statistics |url=https://repository.lahoreschool.edu.pk/xmlui/handle/123456789/14529 |title=1981 Census Report of Pakistan |last2=Pakistan |first2=Government of |last3=Islamabad |date=December 1981 |publisher= Population Census Organisation Statistics Division, Government of Pakistan, Islamabad |language=en}}</ref>
!1998 census<ref>{{Cite web |title=POPULATION BY MOTHER TONGUE |url=http://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files//tables/POPULATION%20BY%20MOTHER%20TONGUE.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160916094308/http://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files//tables/POPULATION%20BY%20MOTHER%20TONGUE.pdf |archive-date=16 September 2016 |website=[[Pakistan Bureau of Statistics]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Ilahi |first=Mazhar |date=2014 |title=Legislative Drafting in Plain Urdu Language for the Islamic Republic of Pakistan |url=https://www.elevenjournals.com/tijdschrift/ejlr/2014/3/EJLR_1387-2370_2014_016_003_005 |journal=European Journal of Law Reform |language=nl |volume=16 |issue=3 |pages=597–609 |doi=10.5553/EJLR/138723702014016003005 |issn=1387-2370|url-access=subscription }}</ref>
!2017 census<ref>{{Cite web |title=TABLE 11 - POPULATION BY MOTHER TONGUE, SEX AND RURAL/ URBAN |url=https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files/population/2017/tables/pakistan/Table11n.pdf |website=[[Pakistan Bureau of Statistics]]}}</ref>
!2023 census<ref name="2023 census" />
|-
|1
|[[Punjabi language|Punjabi]]
|67.08%
|66.39%
|...
|48.17%
|44.15%
|38.78%
|36.98%
|-
|2
|[[Pashto language|Pashto]] 
|8.16%
|8.47%
|...
|13.15%
|15.42%
|18.24%
|18.15%
|-
|3
|[[Sindhi language|Sindhi]]
|12.85%
|12.59%
|...
|11.77%
|14.1%
|14.57%
|14.31%
|-
|4
|[[Saraiki language|Saraiki]]
|...
|...
|...
|9.84%
|10.53%
|12.19%
|12.00%
|-
|5
|[[Urdu language|Urdu]]
|7.05%
|7.57%
|...
|7.60%
|7.57%
|7.08%
|9.25%
|-
|6
|[[Balochi language|Balochi]]
|3.04%
|2.49%
|...
|3.02%
|3.57%
|3.02%
|3.38%
|-
|7
|[[Hindko]]
|...
|...
|...
|2.43%
|...
|2.44%
|2.32%
|-
|8
|[[Brahui language|Brahui]]
|0.70%
|0.93%
|...
|1.21%
|...
|1.24%
|1.16%
|-
|9
|[[Mewati language|Mewati]]
|...
|...
|...
|...
|...
|...
|0.46%
|-
|10
|[[Indus Kohistani|Kohistani]]
|...
|...
|...
|...
|...
|...
|0.43%
|-
|11
|[[Kashmiri language|Kashmiri]]
|...
|...
|...
|...
|...
|0.17%
|0.11%
|-
|12
|[[Shina language|Shina]]
|...
|...
|...
|...
|...
|...
|0.05%
|-
|13
|[[Balti language|Balti]]
|...
|...
|...
|...
|...
|...
|0.02%
|-
|14
|[[Kalasha language|Kalasha]]
|...
|...
|...
|...
|...
|...
|0.003%
|-
|15
|Others
|1.12%
|1.56%
|...
|2.81%
|4.66%
|2.27%
|1.38%
|}
<small>&ast; Saraiki and Hindko were included with Punjabi until the 1981 census.</small>

<nowiki>*</nowiki><small>Census data for the Pakistani administered territories of Gilgit Baltistan and Azad Kashmir not available as of 2024.</small>