Multan District

Multan
ضِلع مُلتان
District of Punjab
Top: Tomb of Shah Rukn-e-Alam
Bottom: Aerial view of Ghanta Ghar Chowk
Multan District highlighted within Punjab Province
Multan District highlighted within Punjab Province
Coordinates: 29°56′N 71°22′E / 29.933°N 71.367°E / 29.933; 71.367
CountryPakistan
ProvincePunjab
DivisionMultan
HeadquartersMultan
Number of Tehsils4
Government
 • TypeDistrict Administration
 • MayorNone (vacant)
 • Deputy CommissionerMudasir Riaz Malik (BPS-19 PAS)
 • District Police OfficerMansoorul Haq Rana (BPS-19 PSP)
Area
[1]
 • Total
3,720 km2 (1,440 sq mi)
Population
 (2023)[2]
 • Total
5,362,305
 • Density1,400/km2 (3,700/sq mi)
Literacy
[3]
 • Literacy rate
  • Total:
    (61.41%)
  • Male:
    (67.28%)
  • Female:
    (55.27%)
Time zoneUTC+5 (PKT)
LanguagesSaraiki, Punjabi, Urdu
Websitemultan.punjab.gov.pk

Multan District (Urdu: ضِلع مُلتان), is a district in the province of Punjab, Pakistan. Its capital is the city of Multan. The district has a population of 5.45 million (as of 2024)[4] and an area of 3,720 square kilometres. The district consists of tehsils of Multan saddar, Multan city, Jalalpur Pirwala and Shujabad.[5]

Vehari, Khanewal and Lodhran were Tehsils of Multan district. Vehari was made separate district in 1976. Khanewal was cut off from Multan and made a separate district in 1985. Lodhran was split off as a separate district from Multan in 1991.[6]

Location

Multan District is surrounded by the Khanewal to the North and North East, the Vehari to the East and Lodhran to the South. The Chenab River passes on its Western side, across which lies Muzaffargarh. Bahawalpur district is to the south across the Sutlej.

Administration

The district is administratively divided into the following tehsils (subdivisions):

Tehsil[7] Area

(km²)[8]

Pop.

(2023)

Density

(ppl/km²)

(2023)

Literacy rate

(2023)[9]

Union Councils
Jalalpur Pirwala 978 608,488 622.18 38.50% ...
Multan City 304 2,555,486 8,406.20 73.65% ...
Multan Saddar 1,632 1,516,004 928.92 52.01% ...
Shujabad 806 682,327 846.56 53.87% ...

Demographics

Population

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1951 725,131—    
1961 983,815+3.10%
1972 1,506,223+3.95%
1981 1,970,075+3.03%
1998 3,116,851+2.74%
2017 4,746,166+2.24%
2023 5,362,305+2.06%
Sources:[10]

As of the 2023 census, Multan district has 886,392 households and a population of 5,362,305. The district has a sex ratio of 103.77 males to 100 females and a literacy rate of 61.41%: 67.28% for males and 55.27% for females.[2][11] 1,398,159 (26.18% of the surveyed population) are under 10 years of age.[12] 2,499,871 (46.62%) live in urban areas.[2]

Religion

Religion in Multan district (2023)[13]
Religion Percent
Islam
 
 99.15%
Christianity
 
 0.79%
Other or not stated
 
 0.06%
Religion in Multan District
Religious
group 		1941[14]: 62–63  2017[15] 2023[16]
Pop. % Pop. % Pop. %
Islam 428,659 79.4% 4,716,267 99.37% 5,295,315 99.15%
Hinduism [a] 101,985 18.89% 2,366 0.05% 1,709 0.03%
Sikhism 6,802 1.26% — — 120 0%
Christianity 1,012 0.19% 25,693 0.54% 42,155 0.79%
Ahmadi — — 1,665 0.04% 1,105 0.02%
Others 1,428 0.26% 175 0% 358 0.01%
Total Population 539,886 100% 4,746,166 100% 5,340,762 100%
Note: 1941 figures are for Multan and Shujabad tehsils of Multan District, which roughly corresponds to present-day Multan district.
Religious groups in Multan District (British Punjab province era)
Religious
group 		1881[17][18][19] 1891[20] 1901[21] 1911[22][23] 1921[24] 1931[25] 1941[26]
Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. %
Islam 435,901 78.97% 503,962 79.81% 570,254 80.25% 665,488 81.67% 731,605 82.18% 942,937 80.26% 1,157,911 78.01%
Hinduism [a] 112,001 20.29% 122,714 19.43% 133,560 18.79% 126,603 15.54% 134,013 15.05% 182,029 15.49% 249,872 16.83%
Sikhism 2,085 0.38% 2,832 0.45% 4,662 0.66% 19,881 2.44% 18,562 2.08% 39,453 3.36% 61,628 4.15%
Christianity 1,861 0.34% 1,892 0.3% 1,964 0.28% 2,441 0.3% 6,006 0.67% 9,924 0.84% 14,290 0.96%
Zoroastrianism 63 0.01% 9 0% 52 0.01% 58 0.01% 47 0.01% 117 0.01% 77 0.01%
Jainism 47 0.01% 24 0% 134 0.02% 394 0.05% 28 0% 440 0.04% 552 0.04%
Buddhism 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0%
Judaism — — 0 0% 0 0% 6 0% 3 0% 0 0% 3 0%
Others 6 0% 1 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0%
Total population 551,964 100% 631,434 100% 710,626 100% 814,871 100% 890,264 100% 1,174,900 100% 1,484,333 100%
Note: British Punjab province era district borders are not an exact match in the present-day due to various bifurcations to district borders — which since created new districts — throughout the historic Punjab Province region during the post-independence era that have taken into account population increases.
Religion in the Tehsils of Multan District (1921)[24]
Tehsil Islam Hinduism Sikhism Christianity Jainism Others[b] Total
Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. %
Multan Tehsil 196,963 80.93% 40,945 16.82% 3,250 1.34% 2,149 0.88% 28 0.01% 50 0.02% 243,385 100%
Shujabad Tehsil 111,051 84.07% 20,418 15.46% 610 0.46% 12 0.01% 0 0% 0 0% 132,091 100%
Lodhran Tehsil 103,838 82.84% 21,197 16.91% 311 0.25% 7 0.01% 0 0% 0 0% 125,353 100%
Mailsi Tehsil 99,191 87.07% 13,079 11.48% 1,657 1.45% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 113,927 100%
Khanewal Tehsil 94,274 74.16% 21,619 17.01% 7,431 5.85% 3,807 2.99% 0 0% 0 0% 127,131 100%
Kabirwala Tehsil 126,288 85.11% 16,755 11.29% 5,303 3.57% 31 0.02% 0 0% 0 0% 148,377 100%
Note: British Punjab province era tehsil borders are not an exact match in the present-day due to various bifurcations to tehsil borders — which since created new tehsils — throughout the historic Punjab Province region during the post-independence era that have taken into account population increases.
Religion in the Tehsils of Multan District (1941)[26]
Tehsil Islam Hinduism [a] Sikhism Christianity Jainism Others[c] Total
Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. %
Multan Tehsil 273,637 76.07% 78,566 21.84% 5,225 1.45% 871 0.24% 499 0.14% 929 0.26% 359,727 100%
Shujabad Tehsil 155,022 86.05% 23,419 13% 1,577 0.88% 141 0.08% 0 0% 0 0% 180,159 100%
Lodhran Tehsil 175,642 82.59% 33,246 15.63% 3,519 1.65% 218 0.1% 1 0% 48 0.02% 212,674 100%
Mailsi Tehsil 213,413 75.92% 43,866 15.6% 21,131 7.52% 2,679 0.95% 18 0.01% 2 0% 281,109 100%
Khanewal Tehsil 176,892 70.06% 41,908 16.6% 24,380 9.66% 9,142 3.62% 34 0.01% 115 0.05% 252,471 100%
Kabirwala Tehsil 163,305 82.4% 28,867 14.57% 5,796 2.92% 219 0.11% 0 0% 6 0% 198,193 100%
Note1: British Punjab province era tehsil borders are not an exact match in the present-day due to various bifurcations to tehsil borders — which since created new tehsils — throughout the historic Punjab Province region during the post-independence era that have taken into account population increases.

Note2: Tehsil religious breakdown figures for Christianity only includes local Christians, labeled as "Indian Christians" on census. Does not include Anglo-Indian Christians or British Christians, who were classified under "Other" category.

Language

Languages of Multan district (2023)[27]

  Saraiki (63.89%)
  Urdu (17.72%)
  Punjabi (16.00%)
  Mewati (0.94%)
  Others (1.45%)

At the time of the 2023 census, 63.89% of the population spoke Saraiki, 17.72% Urdu, 16.00% Punjabi and 0.94% Mewati as their first language.[27]

Tehsils

  1. Jalalpur Pirwala
  2. Multan City
  3. Multan Saddar
  4. Shujabad

Notes

  1. ^ a b c 1931-1941: Including Ad-Dharmis
  2. ^ Including Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Tribals, others, or not stated
  3. ^ Including Anglo-Indian Christians, British Christians, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Tribals, others, or not stated

References

  1. ^ "Multan District at Glance". Population Census Organization, Government of Pakistan. Archived from the original on 25 April 2012. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
  2. ^ a b c "7th Population and Housing Census - Detailed Results: Table 1" (PDF). Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
  3. ^ "Literacy rate, enrolments, and out-of-school population by sex and rural/urban, CENSUS-2023" (PDF).
  4. ^ "District wise population | Multan" (PDF). pbs.gov.pk. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
  5. ^ "District Profile | Multan". multan.punjab.gov.pk. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  6. ^ "Our History | Multan". multan.punjab.gov.pk. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  7. ^ Divisions/Districts of Pakistan Archived 2006-09-30 at the Wayback Machine Note: Although divisions as an administrative structure has been abolished, the election commission of Pakistan still groups districts under the division names
  8. ^ "TABLE 1 : AREA, POPULATION BY SEX, SEX RATIO, POPULATION DENSITY, URBAN POPULATION, HOUSEHOLD SIZE AND ANNUAL GROWTH RATE, CENSUS-2023, PUNJAB" (PDF).
  9. ^ "LITERACY RATE, ENROLMENT AND OUT OF SCHOOL POPULATION BY SEX AND RURAL/URBAN, CENSUS-2023" (PDF).
  10. ^ "Population by administrative units 1951-1998" (PDF). Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
  11. ^ "7th Population and Housing Census - Detailed Results: Table 12" (PDF). Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
  12. ^ "7th Population and Housing Census - Detailed Results: Table 5" (PDF). Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
  13. ^ "District Wise Results / Tables (Census - 2023)" (PDF). www.pbscensus.gov.pk. Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
  14. ^ "CENSUS OF INDIA, 1941 VOLUME VI PUNJAB PROVINCE". Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  15. ^ "District Wise Results / Tables (Census - 2017)". www.pbscensus.gov.pk. Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
  16. ^ "7th Population and Housing Census - Detailed Results: Table 9" (PDF). Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
  17. ^ "Census of India, 1881 Report on the Census of the Panjáb Taken on the 17th of February 1881, vol. I." 1881. JSTOR saoa.crl.25057656. Retrieved 26 December 2024.
  18. ^ "Census of India, 1881 Report on the Census of the Panjáb Taken on the 17th of February 1881, vol. II". 1881. p. 14. JSTOR saoa.crl.25057657. Retrieved 26 December 2024.
  19. ^ "Census of India, 1881 Report on the Census of the Panjáb Taken on the 17th of February 1881, vol. III". 1881. p. 14. JSTOR saoa.crl.25057658. Retrieved 26 December 2024.
  20. ^ "The Punjab and its feudatories, part II--Imperial Tables and Supplementary Returns for the British Territory". 1891. p. 14. JSTOR saoa.crl.25318669. Retrieved 26 December 2024.
  21. ^ "Census of India 1901. [Vol. 17A]. Imperial tables, I-VIII, X-XV, XVII and XVIII for the Punjab, with the native states under the political control of the Punjab Government, and for the North-west Frontier Province". 1901. p. 34. JSTOR saoa.crl.25363739. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  22. ^ "Census of India 1911. Vol. 14, Punjab. Pt. 2, Tables". 1911. p. 27. JSTOR saoa.crl.25393788. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  23. ^ Kaul, Harikishan (1911). "Census Of India 1911 Punjab Vol XIV Part II". p. 27. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  24. ^ a b "Census of India 1921. Vol. 15, Punjab and Delhi. Pt. 2, Tables". 1921. p. 29. JSTOR saoa.crl.25430165. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  25. ^ "Census of India 1931. Vol. 17, Punjab. Pt. 2, Tables". 1931. p. 277. JSTOR saoa.crl.25793242. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  26. ^ a b India Census Commissioner (1941). "Census of India, 1941. Vol. 6, Punjab". p. 42. JSTOR saoa.crl.28215541. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  27. ^ a b "7th Population and Housing Census - Detailed Results: Table 11" (PDF). Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
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