Factbook
History of Pakistan — Timeline
Key dates in the history of Pakistan, from the Magna Factbook and the Universal Encyclopedia.
1947Independence: 14 August 1947 (from British India).
1947The partition in 1947 of British India into the Muslim state of Pakistan (with West and East sections) and largely Hindu India created lasting tension between the two countries.
1947They have fought two wars and a limited conflict -- in 1947-48, 1965, and 1999 respectively -- over the Kashmir territory, a dispute that continues to this day.
1971A third war in 1971 -- in which India assisted an indigenous movement reacting to Bengali marginalization in Pakistani politics -- resulted in East Pakistan becoming the separate nation of Bangladesh.
1998In response to Indian nuclear weapons testing, Pakistan conducted its own tests in 1998.
2020(2020 est.) Urban population: 38% of total population (2023).
2023Generation mix — fossil fuels: 60.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); nuclear: 14.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 0.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); wind: 3.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); hydroelectricity: 19.9% of total insta Energy use: 14.076 million Btu/person (2023 est.).
2023Industries: textiles and apparel, food processing, pharmaceuticals, surgical instruments, construction materials, paper products, fertilizer, shrimp Agriculture: sugarcane, bison milk, wheat, milk, rice, maize, potatoes, cotton, mangoes/guavas, chicken (2023) Electricity access: 95% (2022 est.).
2023Major urban areas: 17.236 million Karachi, 13.979 million Lahore, 3.711 million Faisalabad, 2.415 million Gujranwala, 2.412 million Peshawar, 1.232 million ISLAMABAD (capital) (2023) lower middle-income South Asian economy; extremely high debt; endemic corruption; regional disputes with India and Afghanistan hinder investment; falling inflation, IMF relief programs, and strong agricultural output slowly contributing to economic recovery Inflation: 12.6% (2024 est.).
2024Military spending: 2.5% of GDP (2024 est.).
2025Population: 257.0 million (2025 estimate).
