Pakistan’s Identity Crisis: Millions Still Without Legal Documents
Despite efforts to boost national registration, millions of Pakistanis still live without identity documents, cutting them off from basic rights and public services. In a country of over 240 million people, the problem persists due to poverty, lack of awareness, and bureaucratic hurdles.
In Karachi, 19-year-old Raza remains unregistered. He was forced to drop out of school when his middle school demanded official documents. Now, he cannot find legal employment and has been arrested twice for not carrying a national identity card.
“If I go looking for work, they ask for my ID card. Without it, they refuse to hire me,” said Raza, who lives with his unregistered mother in a single-room home. “Our lives could have been different if we had our identity cards.”
Pakistan introduced biometric ID cards in 2000, making registration essential for everything from education and employment to banking and healthcare. Still, an estimated 45 million people remained undocumented as of 2021, according to the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA). Updated figures have not been disclosed.
The registration process is often costly and complicated, especially for the poor. Raza needs documents from a close relative—usually a parent or uncle—plus verification from professionals like doctors or lawyers. The total cost can be as high as $165, more than a month’s income for his household.
In remote areas like Rajanpur in Punjab, UNICEF has launched door-to-door campaigns to improve birth registrations. “If the state doesn’t know that a child exists, it can’t provide basic services,” said Zahida Manzoor, a UNICEF child protection officer.
Only 42% of Pakistani children under the age of five have birth certificates. The consequences are severe: unregistered children are more vulnerable to child labor, forced marriage, and school dropouts.
Mothers like Nazia Hussain say they lack the time, money, or transportation to complete the process. “Our men can’t miss a day’s work, and I can’t go alone,” she said.
Yet there are signs of progress. Birth registration in Rajanpur rose from just 6.1% in 2018 to 17.7% in 2024, according to UNICEF data.
Some families, like Saba’s, are pushing back against outdated attitudes. “We don’t want our children’s future to be like our past,” she said. “If children go to school, the future will be brighter.”
However, many still see little value in registration. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Muhammad Haris and his brothers have not registered any of their eight children. “The only reason to get documents is to apply for a pilgrimage visa to Mecca,” he said.
With no clear government initiative to eliminate the barriers faced by low-income families, Pakistan’s identity gap remains a serious threat to inclusive development.
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