ISLAMABAD: The highest number of voters in Pakistan fall in the 18-25 and 26-35 age groups, data by the country’s election regulator showed on Monday, meaning young voters in the South Asian country would hold sway in the upcoming polls if they take to the ballot box in large numbers.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said last week his government’s tenure would expire in August, after which a caretaker government will take over the country’s reins and conduct general elections by either October or November.
According to a United Nations Development Program (UNDP) report in 2018, 64 percent of Pakistan’s total population comprises of people below the age of 30, and 29 percent of its population is aged between 15 to 29 years. As per the report, this makes Pakistan one of the youngest countries in the world, and second only to Afghanistan in South Asia.
According to voter statistics shared by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on social media, over 126 million Pakistani citizens are set to cast their votes in the upcoming elections, out of which 23.5 million (18.66 percent) fall within the 18 to 25-year age group. Meanwhile, 32.6 million (25.91 percent) registered voters fall within the 26-35 age bracket.
The data showed that Pakistani voters who fall within the 36 to 45-year age group make up 27.7 million (22.03 percent) of the total voters while 18.1 million (14.38 percent) of the voters are aged between 46 to 55 years. Pakistani voters who fall within the 56-65-year age bracket number to about 11.8 million and 9.44 percent of the total voters.
Meanwhile, the ECP data showed that Pakistani voters aged 66 and above make up about 12.09 million (9.61 percent) of the total voters.
Pakistan’s political parties have increasingly turned their attention toward social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and video-sharing platform YouTube in recent years to engage younger audiences and promote their narratives. Former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is arguably the most popular political party on social media, and is often regarded as the most favored by the country’s young population.
