Karachi: As Pakistan continues to urbanize, the prevalence of joint family living arrangements is gradually declining, with significant variations observed across different provinces. According to Gallup Pakistan Digital Analytics, the percentage of households living as extended families, which includes parents, siblings, grandchildren, or in-laws sharing a home rather than just a nuclear unit, has decreased from 44.5% in 1990-91 to 38.8% in 2024-25.

According to the Gilani Research Foundation, this trend is not uniform across the nation. Sindh consistently records the lowest share of extended households since 1990, currently at 31.5%. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) maintains the highest share, despite a downward trend. Balochistan experienced the most significant change, leading in extended-family living in 1990-91 but now showing the fastest decline to 34.8%.

Over the survey years, Balochistan witnessed a steep decline from 49.3% to 34.8%, the largest drop among provinces, especially since 2007-08. Sindh follows with a 7.2 percentage point decrease from 38.7% to 31.5%. Punjab shows the smallest change, with a 4.0 percentage point decline from 45.6% to 41.6%. Meanwhile, KP saw a decrease from 47.7% to 44.9%, a reduction of 2.8 percentage points.

The classification of a household as “extended” required at least one member whose relationship to the household head was other than head, spouse, or son/daughter. The implications of these shifts on the lives of those experiencing them remain a broader question beyond the scope of the data.