Pakistan Bureau of Statistics Releases Report on Mother Tongues Spoken Across the Country

The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics has released an extensive report on the nation’s linguistic diversity, underscoring the multitude of mother tongues spoken across the country. According to the report, Punjabi leads with 88.9 million speakers, maintaining its status as the most widely spoken mother tongue.

Pashto follows as the second most common language, with 43.6 million speakers, while Sindhi claims the third spot with 34.4 million native speakers. Saraiki ranks fourth, spoken by 28.8 million people.

Despite being the national language, Urdu is the mother tongue of just over 22.2 million citizens. Balochi is spoken by 8.1 million, while Kashmiri is the native language for approximately 274,000 individuals.

The report also highlights Hindko, spoken by 5.59 million, and Brahui, with 2.78 million speakers. Smaller linguistic groups include Shina with 116,000 speakers, Balti with 52,134, and the unique Kalasha language spoken by 7,466.

Kohistani speakers number around 1.039 million, and various other local languages combined account for 3.337 million speakers, showcasing the intricate linguistic tapestry that defines Pakistan’s cultural identity.