Khyber’s voter registration rate stands at 56% of its estimated 2025 population — two percentage points above the national ratio of 54%.

Methodology

These figures are drawn from district-wise electoral roll statistics released by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on 30 December 2025. They are cross-referenced against population estimates derived from the 2023 Digital Census. The 2025 population estimate applies the 2.58% inter-censal annual growth rate to Khyber’s census base population of 1,146,267, yielding an estimated 2025 population of 1,206,178. Registration rates are calculated by dividing the number of registered voters by this estimated population.

Voter registration in Khyber

The district has 680,131 registered voters — 373,094 males (54.9%) and 307,037 females (45.1%). Among males, 59% of the estimated population is registered; among females, 53%. Khyber ranks 76th out of 136 districts nationally by population size and is represented by one Member of the National Assembly.

By voter registration rate, Khyber ranks 39th nationally and 16th of 35 within Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Why registration exceeds the national ratio

Two rules governing Pakistan’s 2023 Digital Census explain Khyber’s above-average registration rate. First, household members absent for more than six months were not enumerated at their home address. Second, previous household members living elsewhere were recorded at their present address, not the origin household.

Labour migration — including significant movement to urban centres and abroad — draws a significant share of Khyber’s permanent residents to major Pakistani cities and Gulf labour markets. These individuals were enumerated at their destination, not in Khyber, at census time. They remain registered as voters in Khyber on the basis of their permanent CNIC address. The population denominator is therefore smaller than the registered voter roll — producing a ratio above the national average.

Female voters constitute 45.1% of the registered electorate in Khyber, reflecting a significant gender gap of 9.7%. Sustained outreach to achieve equitable female registration remains important despite the district’s strong overall rate.

This post is part of FAFEN’s series on voter vs population ratio. Read more of this series here.