Mardan’s voter registration rate stands at 56% of its estimated 2025 population — two percentage points above the national ratio of 54%.

Methodology

These figures are drawn from district-wise electoral roll statistics released by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on 30 December 2025. They are cross-referenced against population estimates derived from the 2023 Digital Census. The 2025 population estimate applies the 2.46% inter-censal annual growth rate to Mardan’s census base population of 2,744,898, yielding an estimated 2025 population of 2,881,608. Registration rates are calculated by dividing the number of registered voters by this estimated population.

Voter registration in Mardan

The district has 1.6 million registered voters — 883,662 males (54.4%) and 741,766 females (45.6%). Among males, 60% of the estimated population is registered; among females, 53%. Mardan ranks 26th out of 136 districts nationally by population size and is represented by three Members of the National Assembly.

By voter registration rate, Mardan ranks 38th nationally and 15th of 35 within Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Why registration exceeds the national ratio

Two rules governing Pakistan’s 2023 Digital Census explain Mardan’s above-average registration rate. First, household members absent for more than six months were not enumerated at their home address. Second, previous household members living elsewhere were recorded at their present address, not the origin household.

Labour migration — including significant movement to urban centres and abroad — draws a significant share of Mardan’s permanent residents to major Pakistani cities and Gulf labour markets. These individuals were enumerated at their destination, not in Mardan, at census time. They remain registered as voters in Mardan on the basis of their permanent CNIC address. The population denominator is therefore smaller than the registered voter roll — producing a ratio above the national average.

Female voters constitute 45.6% of the registered electorate in Mardan, reflecting a significant gender gap of 8.7%. Sustained outreach to achieve equitable female registration remains important despite the district’s strong overall rate.

This post is part of FAFEN’s series on voter vs population ratio. Read more of this series here.