Punjabi tops as 'most spoken language' in Pakistan

• Highest proportion of Urdu speakers live in Sindh: PBS
• Pashto predominant language in KP, followed by Hindko.
• Balochi main language in Balochistan, spoken by 39.91%.

As per the most recent census statistics published by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), Punjabi is the most widely spoken language in the country, with 37% of the population using it for communication, The News reported on Sunday.

The second most spoken language is Pashto, with Sindhi takes the third spot. While, nearly 9% of the citizens speak Urdu, with Sindh accommodating the largest number of Urdu speakers, followed by Islamabad, the federal capital.

According to the results of the Census 2023, 9.25% of the population speaks Urdu nationwide, up from 7.08% in 2017.

The highest proportion of Urdu speakers is in Sindh, followed by Islamabad, where 15.72 % of the population uses it as their primary language. 

Punjabi remains the most commonly spoken language, with 36.98% of the population using it. In Punjab, Punjabi is dominant, spoken by 67% of the population, followed by Islamabad at 50%.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pashto is the predominant language, spoken by 81% of the population, followed by Hindko at 9.39%. In Sindh, Sindhi is the most spoken language, used by 60% of the population, followed by Urdu at 22.30%.

In Balochistan, Balochi is the main language, spoken by 39.91% of the population, followed by Pashto at 34.30%. In Islamabad, a mix of Urdu, Punjabi and Pashto is commonly used.