What Do You Call Someone From Pakistan? (Helpful Content!)

Someone from Pakistan is called Pakistani. This is the only term used for a person of Pakistani nationality. However, it’s worth remembering that many different ethnic groups make up the population of Pakistan, and individuals of these groups may feel their ethnic identity more strongly than their national identity.

The simple, short answer, then, is that someone from Pakistan is called Pakistani.

This is a term for anyone who comes from Pakistan and indeed most Pakistani people probably do identify primarily in this way.

On the other hand, the country is a big mix of ethnic groups, so it’s always worth keeping this in mind.

Let’s find out more.

In This Article

What is someone from Pakistan called?

Someone from Pakistan is called Pakistani.

This is the short and simple answer, and Pakistani is the standard, universally used demonym for a person of Pakistani nationality, citizenship, or descent.

There are always multiple ways that you can feel a particular nationality to be your own.

You may have been born to Pakistani parents but never stepped foot in the country; you will likely still think of yourself as Pakistani.

On the other hand, you may have been born and raised in Pakistan to foreign parents, and thus think of yourself as Pakistani in another way.

The other question is one of ethnicity.

Our modern notion of the nation state is often far less important to a person’s identity than is the ethnic group to which they belong, and there are many in Pakistan.

There are many ways you can define an ethnic group, and most ethnic groups in Pakistan are defined by the language they speak; ethnolinguistic groups, in other words.

Looking at it from this point of view, the largest ethnic group in Pakistan is the Punjabi people, representing around 38% of the population.

This group is associated with the Punjab region, most of which is in modern Pakistan but parts of which are in India.

There are around 108 million Punjabis in Pakistan.

The next largest group is the Pashtun people, representing around 18% of the population.

Again, they are largely grouped in Pakistan by Pashto being their mother tongue.

There are around 40 million Pashtuns living in Pakistan, though the estimated global population is around 65 million.

Multiple other minority ethnic groups then make up the rest of Pakistan’s population, including Sindhi at 14%, Saraiki at 12%, Urdu at 7%, and many more.

The point is that any one of these people may feel themselves more to be associated with their ethnic group rather than their Pakistani nationality.

Where does the name “Pakistan” come from?

Pakistan as a name is a very recent invention, first coined by Choudhry Rahmat Ali in 1933.

He was a member of the Pakistan Movement, an activist group that sought to create the nation of Pakistan out of the Muslim dominated areas of the then British India.

According to his letters, the term is a Persian and an Urdu word, and means the land of the Paks, those who are “spiritually pure and clean”.

The suffix –stan is a Persian term used throughout Asia in country names as it means “land of”.

Thus, Pakistan is “land of the pure” as it was coined by the people who named the country.

Having only been established as a separate nation from India in 1947, the name is very easy to trace to its original source.

What is the slang name for Pakistani?

One distinction you must be very careful of when speaking of Pakistanis is between the standard term, Pakistani, and the highly derogatory and offensive slur used primarily in Britain, “Paki”.

This is, in no unclear terms, a racist and hateful term used by bigots to indicate their hatred for not only Pakistanis but South Asians in general.

You must never use this term in any context whatsoever; Pakistani is the only acceptable way to refer to Pakistan nationals as a whole.

To an outsider who is not familiar with the context, it is often easy to get these things mixed up and not realize the weight that words carry.

This is of course understandable, but now you should have no doubt about the use of this offensive slur.

Where do Pakistanis live?

Pakistanis, of course, whatever their ethnicity, do not only live in Pakistan.

It’s important to understand this to have the full picture of what it means to be a Pakistani.

The total global diaspora of Pakistani people is estimated to be around 8 million.

Of these, the vast majority can be found in Saudi Arabia, where there are an estimated 2.6 million Pakistanis living.

The next largest group of overseas Pakistanis can be found in the United Arab Emirates, where there are a further 1.5 million.

Another 1.1 million live in the U.K. according to the census, and there are then around 600,000 living in the U.S. and around 300,000 living in Canada.

Large populations can also be found in many other areas, but the point is that any of these people may feel “Pakistani” or something else to now be the most important part of their identity; it’s all a highly individual question.

So, being careful to avoid the commonly used slur, the term for a person from Pakistan is simply Pakistani.

This reflects a lot of modern ideas about nation states and legal nationality as opposed to one’s ethnic identity, but of course many do feel this to be the more important part of their identity.

Always the best way to approach this is to ask the individual you are addressing and find out what they feel about their identity.

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Founder - @PollyWebster

Polly Webster is the founder of Foreign Lingo and a seasoned traveler with a decade of exploration under her belt.

Over the past 10 years, she has journeyed to numerous countries around the globe, immersing herself in diverse cultures, traditions, and languages.

Drawing from her rich experiences, Polly now writes insightful articles about travel, languages, traditions, and cultures, sharing her unique perspectives and invaluable tips with her readers.

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