Marriage Data & Demographics

How common is divorce compared with widowhood in Pakistan?

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Answer

Direct answer

In the 2023 Census, 5,400,798 people aged 15 or older were recorded as widowed and 499,017 as divorced. These represented 3.78% and 0.35% of the population aged 15+, so widowhood was recorded nearly eleven times as often as current divorced status. The comparison does not measure the lifetime probability of either event. Divorced people who remarry move into the married category, and widowhood is strongly shaped by age, sex differences in longevity and remarriage patterns.

3.78% vs 0.35%widowed and divorced shares among people aged 15+, Census 2023
Evidence

Sources used

Official Statistics · 2023

Population age 15 and above by marital status, Census 2023

Pakistan Bureau of Statistics

Official national counts by age, sex and rural or urban residence for married, widowed, divorced and separated people.View source
Official Statistics · 2025

National Census Report 2023

Pakistan Bureau of Statistics

Official census report defining marital-status categories and reporting national and provincial distributions.View source
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