Pakistan Data Observatory
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PDO-09

Digital Population and Housing Census 2023

Pakistan Bureau of Statistics

Last reviewed October 2026

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What it does

Pakistan's first digital census, held in 2023. Field staff recorded every household on tablets, including who lives there and their education, work, migration and disability. The Bureau of Statistics says the results feed into decisions on political representation and how resources are shared.

Why it matters

Every household in the country is covered. The law says the answers are confidential and may be used only for statistics.

Legal basis: General Statistics (Reorganization) Act, 2011 (Act No. XIV of 2011), sections 28 and 31.

On the register because: it holds records on at least a million people or covers the whole country; enrolment is mandatory or cannot practically be avoided; it holds identity, biometric, health, financial, location or communications data.

How it scores

39.6 out of 100

21.0 to 56.4 if the weights change

Transparency
51.4
System disclosure
87.5
Flows and sharing
33.3
Accountability records
33.3
Safeguards
30.6
Rules on use
66.7
Individual rights
0.0
Security and oversight
25.0
6 disclosed 4 partly disclosed 9 not found

The nineteen questions

This record shows what the agency has published. Not found means nothing was found in the places searched on the date checked. It does not mean the safeguard does not exist.

System disclosure

Transparency

Does the agency say what this system is for and what it is used to decide?

Disclosed
Source: www.pbs.gov.pk/census/
Show evidence

In the agency's words:

The Population and Housing Census is crucial National exercise linked with provision of data for key policy making matters regarding development programs, political representation and resource allocation which has far reaching impact.

Checked 9 October 2026. Saved copy.

Does the agency cite the law, rule or notification this system runs under?

Disclosed

The Act (Act No. XIV of 2011) is published on the site; section 31 provides for the population census.

Source: www.pbs.gov.pk/data-dissemination/
Show evidence

In the agency's words:

The Policy operationalises PBS's mandate under the General Statistics (Re-organization) Act, 2011

Checked 9 October 2026. Saved copy.

Does the agency list the kinds of personal data this system holds?

Partly disclosed

The individual enumeration form is published (one page, in Urdu), with sections for basic questions, education, economic activity, migration and disability. Fields can be read off the form; there is no list presented as what the census database holds, so this is partly disclosed under the codebook.

Source: www.pbs.gov.pk/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/EnumerationFormIndividual.pdf
Show evidence

In the agency's words:

Enumeration Form – Individual

Checked 9 October 2026. Archived copy.

Is there a named office or officer responsible for the data in this system, with contact details?

Disclosed

A named senior officer for censuses, with a telephone number. The post is named for the census, which meets reading rule R-1.

Source: www.pbs.gov.pk/contact-1/
Show evidence

In the agency's words:

Member (Census & Surveys) Mr. Ayazuddin +92 51 9106552

Checked 9 October 2026. Saved copy.

Flows and sharing

Transparency

Does the agency say which other public bodies receive or can query this data?

Partly disclosed

Inter-agency use of identifiable data is acknowledged; no body is named. Section 30 of the Act allows joint collections whose data is 'shared between the agreeing parties'.

Source: www.pbs.gov.pk/data-dissemination/
Show evidence

In the agency's words:

Tier 4 — Non-Disseminable: Identifiable source data, frames, credentials — no external release; authorized internal/inter-agency use only.

Checked 9 October 2026. Saved copy.

Does the agency name the companies or outside bodies that build or run this system?

Partly disclosed

Procurement and outside systems are acknowledged; no supplier is named on the pages read.

Source: www.pbs.gov.pk/census/
Show evidence

In the agency's words:

It involved procurement of 126,000 secured tablets, development of software ..., integration of the enabled tablets with Telco networks for instant transfer of data to secured servers

Checked 9 October 2026. Saved copy.

Does the agency say where the data is stored and whether any of it leaves Pakistan?

Not found
Where we looked

pbs.gov.pk census page ('secured servers', no location); Data Dissemination Policy; About page. Checked 9 October 2026.

Accountability records

Transparency

Has the agency named an official who answers information requests, and said how to file one?

Not found
Where we looked

pbs.gov.pk About page (links a budget statement filed under the Right of Access to Information Act 2017; no designated officer or request procedure found); contact list. Checked 9 October 2026.

Are audit, evaluation or performance reports that cover this system published?

Disclosed

A 70-page report assessing the coverage of the census, linked from the census page as 'Post Enumeration Survey (PES) Report'. Its publication date is not stated; a file name on the same page suggests October 2023. Where a date is uncertain the benefit goes to the agency (reading rule R-6).

Source: www.pbs.gov.pk/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/PES-Report.pdf
Show evidence

In the agency's words:

Post Enumeration Survey, 7th Population and Housing Census - 2023, First Ever Digital Census, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics

Checked 9 October 2026. Archived copy.

Has a privacy or data protection impact assessment of this system been published?

Not found
Where we looked

pbs.gov.pk census page; Data Dissemination Policy; About page. Checked 9 October 2026.

Rules on use

Safeguards

Is there a privacy notice or data policy that covers this system?

Disclosed

A published data policy that names the census and says how identifiable data is handled, written for data users, not for the households counted. Counted in full under reading rule R-2.

Source: www.pbs.gov.pk/data-dissemination/
Show evidence

In the agency's words:

The Policy adopts "open by default, confidential by design and equal access" as its operating rule. ... Microdata access related to Census, Industry and Agriculture shall instead be determined through proportionate tiers

Checked 9 October 2026. Saved copy.

Does the agency say how long records in this system are kept?

Not found
Where we looked

Data Dissemination Policy; General Statistics (Reorganization) Act 2011 (keyword search); census page. Checked 9 October 2026.

Does the agency state limits on using this data for anything beyond its stated purpose?

Disclosed

A statutory purpose limit, with a criminal penalty for disclosure (p. 18 of the Act).

Source: www.pbs.gov.pk/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/General_Statistics_Reorganization_ACT_2011.pdf
Show evidence

In the agency's words:

s.28(1): All answers to the questions received and all information and returns furnished under this Act shall be confidential and shall not be,- (a) used for any purpose other than compilation of statistics under this Act; (b) published in a form which may disclose the state of affairs of any particular individual

Checked 9 October 2026. Saved copy.

Individual rights

Safeguards

Does the agency explain how a person can see their own record?

Not found
Where we looked

pbs.gov.pk census page; Data Dissemination Policy; FAQs. Checked 9 October 2026.

Does the agency explain how a person can get an error in their record corrected?

Not found
Where we looked

pbs.gov.pk census page; FAQs; Data Dissemination Policy. Checked 9 October 2026.

Is there a complaint route for misuse of this data, with a stated response time?

Not found
Where we looked

pbs.gov.pk contact list (staff directory only); census page; FAQs. Checked 9 October 2026.

Can a person find out who has accessed their record?

Not found
Where we looked

Data Dissemination Policy; census page. Checked 9 October 2026.

Security and oversight

Safeguards

Has the agency committed to telling people about data breaches, or published a record of past ones?

Not found
Where we looked

Data Dissemination Policy; census page; About page. Checked 9 October 2026.

Does the agency say who independently audits the security or data handling of this system, and how often?

Partly disclosed

Security is asserted. No auditor, standard or date.

Source: www.pbs.gov.pk/census/
Show evidence

In the agency's words:

procurement of 126,000 secured tablets ... instant transfer of data to secured servers

Checked 9 October 2026. Saved copy.

Agency reply

Not yet sent to the agency.

Sources

Official pages and documents cited on this record.

  1. https://www.pbs.gov.pk/census/
  2. https://www.pbs.gov.pk/data-dissemination/
  3. https://www.pbs.gov.pk/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/EnumerationFormIndividual.pdf
  4. https://www.pbs.gov.pk/contact-1/
  5. https://www.pbs.gov.pk/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/PES-Report.pdf
  6. https://www.pbs.gov.pk/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/General_Statistics_Reorganization_ACT_2011.pdf