Islamabad’s voter registration rate stands at 49% of its estimated 2025 population — five percentage points below the national ratio of 54%.
Methodology
These figures are drawn from district-wise electoral roll statistics released by the ECP on 30 December 2025, cross-referenced against population estimates derived from the 2023 Digital Census. The 2025 population estimate applies the 2.8% inter-censal annual growth rate to Islamabad’s census base population of 2,363,863, yielding an estimated 2025 population of 2,498,092. Registration rates are calculated by dividing the number of registered voters by this estimated population.
Voter Registration in Islamabad
The district has 1,235,737 registered voters — 645,088 males (52.2%) and 590,649 females (47.8%). Among males, 49% of the estimated population is registered; among females, 50%. Islamabad ranks 117 out of 136 districts nationally by population size and is represented by three Members of the National Assembly.
Why Registration Trails the National Ratio
The below-average registration rate is consistent with Islamabad’s demographic profile as a high-mobility district. Government employment, private-sector work, and higher education drive significant population movement in and out of the capital. Individuals temporarily residing in Islamabad at the time of the 2023 census may have been enumerated here while remaining registered voters in their home districts on the basis of their permanent CNIC address. This inflates the census-based population denominator for Islamabad without a corresponding increase in registered voters — producing a registration rate that understates actual electoral participation by permanent residents. Notwithstanding the overall rate, female voters constitute 47.8% of the registered electorate, indicating the need for targeted registration campaigns for women in Islamabad ahead of the next general elections.
This post is part of FAFEN’s series on voter vs population ratio. Read more of this series here.
