Chagai District
District of Balochistan in Pakistan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Chaghi District (Balochi: چاگۓ دمگ; Urdu: ضلع چاغی), also known as Chaghi District, is the largest district of Pakistan by area, located in the northwestern corner of the Balochistan province of Pakistan.[2] The district shares its border with two countries: Afghanistan and Iran.
Chagai District
ضلع چاغی چاگۓ دمگ | |
|---|---|
 Saindak Lake | |
 Map of Balochistan with Chagai District highlighted | |
| Country |  Pakistan |
| Province |  Balochistan |
| Division | Rakhshan |
| Established | 1896 |
| Headquarters | Dalbandin |
| Government | |
| • Type | District Administration |
| • Deputy Commissioner | Atiq Shahwani |
| • District Police Officer | Abdul Aziz Jakhrani (PSP) |
| • District Health Officer | N/A |
| Area | |
| 44,748 km2 (17,277 sq mi) | |
| Population (2023) | |
| 269,192 | |
| • Density | 6.0157/km2 (15.581/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 20,054 |
| • Rural | 249,138 |
| Literacy | |
| • Literacy rate |
|
| Time zone | UTC+5 (PST) |
Tehsils of Chagai District
With its headquarters at Dalbandin, Chagai District retains the following central and eastern tehsils:
- Dalbandin Tehsil
- Chagai Tehsil
- Amuri Tehsil
- Chilgazi Tehsil
- Dak Tehsil
Demographics
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | 32,807 | — |
| 1961 | 21,414 | −4.18% |
| 1972 | 34,034 | +4.30% |
| 1981 | 63,713 | +7.22% |
| 1998 | 104,534 | +2.96% |
| 2017 | 226,517 | +4.15% |
| 2023 | 269,192 | +2.92% |
| Sources:[3] | ||
Population
As of the 2023 census, Chagai district has 38,213 households and a population of 269,192. The district has a sex ratio of 108.24 males to 100 females and a literacy rate of 33.15%: 41.90% for males and 23.57% for females respectively. [4][5] 101,423 (37.76% of the surveyed population) are under 10 years of age.[6] 20,054 (7.45%) live in urban areas.[4]
Religion
In 2023, Islam was the most followed religion with 99.3% followers. Christians and Hindus form small minority.[7]
| Religious group |
1901[8] | 1911[9] | 1921[10] | 1931[11] | 1941[12] | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | |||||
Islam  |
15,358 | 97.89% | 15,916 | 97.38% | 19,094 | 89.46% | 22,769 | 93.99% | 27,864 | 95.26% | ||||
Hinduism  |
329 | 2.1% | 385 | 2.36% | 1,931 | 9.05% | 1,313 | 5.42% | 1,204 | 4.12% | ||||
Sikhism  |
1 | 0.01% | 34 | 0.21% | 265 | 1.24% | 117 | 0.48% | 181 | 0.62% | ||||
Christianity  |
1 | 0.01% | 9 | 0.06% | 45 | 0.21% | 25 | 0.1% | 1 | 0% | ||||
Jainism  |
0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 8 | 0.04% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | ||||
Zoroastrianism  |
0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | ||||
Judaism  |
0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | ||||
Buddhism .svg){kind=small} |
N/a | N/a | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | ||||
| Tribal | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | ||||
| Others | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | ||||
| Total population | 15,689 | 100% | 16,344 | 100% | 21,343 | 100% | 24,224 | 100% | 29,250 | 100% | ||||
| Note: British Baluchistan era district borders are not an exact match in the present-day due to various bifurcations to district borders — which since created new districts — throughout the region during the post-independence era that have taken into account population increases. | ||||||||||||||
Language
At the time of the 2023 census, 73.77% of the population spoke Balochi, 16.79% Brahui and 8.93% Pashto as their first language.[13]
Administration
Chagai District is administratively subdivided into the following Tehsils and union councils:[2]
| Tehsil | Area
(km²)[14] |
Pop.
(2023) |
Density
(ppl/km²) (2023) |
Literacy rate
(2023)[15] |
Union Councils |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dalbandin Tehsil | 7,791 | 122,918 | 15.78 | 39.10% | |
| Nok kundi Tehsil | 16,092 | 30,625 | 1.90 | 48.57% | |
| Taftan Tehsil | 9,318 | 19,259 | 2.07 | 19.70% | |
| Chagai Tehsil | 3,975 | 73,482 | 18.49 | 23.77% | |
| Amuri Tehsil | ... | ... | ... | ... | |
| Chilgazi tehsil | ... | ... | ... | ... | |
| Yak Machh | 7,572 | 22,908 | 3.03 | 24.36% |
Education
According to Pakistan District Education Rankings, a report by Alif Ailaan, Chaghai is ranked at number 91 nationally, with an education score of 52.06. The learning score is 55.58 and gender parity is 60.11.
The national rank according to readiness is 91, with a readiness score of 55.58 and gender parity of 60.11. The school infrastructure rank of District Chaghai is 114 nationally, with a severe shortage of electricity with a score of 4.55 and building condition score of 12.27. Lack of schools for girls is the main issue of the region.[16]
Notable people
- Sadiq Sanjrani, former chairman of the Senate of Pakistan
- Mir Amanullah Notezai, former member of the Provincial Assembly of Balochistan
- Mir Muhammad Arif Mohammad Hassani, former provincial minister of Balochistan for communication and works
- Sardar Muhammad Umar Gorgaij, senator and former member of the National Assembly of Pakistan
- Sardar Fateh Mohammad Hassani, member of the Senate of Pakistan
