Has the proportion of never-married young adults increased in Pakistan?
Last reviewed:
Direct answer
The evidence points toward later marriage, but a precise trend in never-married young adults needs the same age groups and definitions across census or survey rounds. Census 2023 counted 5.11 million never-married people aged 25–29, equal to 28.4% of that age group. PDHS also recorded rising median marriage ages between 2012–13 and 2017–18. Those findings are consistent, but comparing raw unmarried totals is misleading because Pakistan’s population grew. A percentage trend should be calculated from matched official tables, not headlines about counts.
28.4%People aged 25–29 recorded as never married in Census 2023
Sources used
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 sourcePakistan Demographic and Health Survey 2017–18
National Institute of Population Studies and The DHS Program
National survey evidence for marriage timing, women, households and health indicators.View source