Marriage Data & Demographics

How common is remarriage after widowhood in Pakistan?

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Answer

Direct answer

Official Pakistani statistics do not provide a national remarriage-after-widowhood rate. The 2023 Census counted 5.4 million people aged 15 or older who were currently widowed, but anyone who had lost a spouse and subsequently remarried was classified as married. The widowed count therefore cannot reveal how many remarried, and it is strongly shaped by age and sex. Estimating remarriage requires complete marital histories and time since bereavement, with separate analysis for women and men because opportunities and social expectations differ.

Evidence

Sources used

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
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
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