Pakistan’s first digital census tackles miscounts, exclusion

An enumerator during the pilot phase of the digital census in Karachi, Pakistan. Pakistan's first digital census aims to give a more accurate picture of its population and streamline the process – but can it effectively count marginalised groups? — The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics/Handout via Thomson Reuters Foundation

LAHORE: Father-of-two Muhammad Saqib excitedly types his family's details on a laptop in his Lahore office – the first time fast-growing Pakistan is counting its population digitally.

"My infant daughter has also been counted," the 38-year-old smiled, pressing 'submit' on the portal that was inaugurated last week to the beat of an Urdu song meaning 'upon you depends your future' at an event in Islamabad, the capital.