
Cousin marriages in Pakistan: what the data really shows
January 15, 2026


We often talk about deaths in percentages and tables.
But deaths don’t happen in tables — they happen every day.
Based on Pakistan’s recent mortality structure, this is roughly what “yesterday” looked like.
🕯️ Who died yesterday?
First, the unavoidable headline
~4,000 people died in one day
That’s ~170 every hour
~3 people every minute
👶 Before life even began
Out of yesterday’s deaths:
~900 were babies who never reached their first birthday
Another ~160 were children aged 1–4
👉 Over 1,050 deaths happened before a child even reached school age.
They are failures of maternal care, nutrition, sanitation, and early health systems.
🧒 Before youth even arrived
~210 deaths were among children aged 5–14
~70 deaths among teenagers (15–19)
👉 Nearly 1 in 3 deaths happened before adulthood.
When we say “life is uncertain,” this is what it means statistically.
🧑 Deaths we assume shouldn’t happen
Among working-age Pakistanis yesterday:
~80 deaths in ages 20–29
~95 deaths in ages 30–39
~230 deaths in ages 40–49
~280 deaths in ages 50–59
This is where heart disease, stroke, accidents, suicide, and untreated illness begin to dominate — far earlier than most people expect.
👴 Ageing, but not gently
Yesterday also saw:
~700 deaths among people aged 60–69
~750 deaths among those aged 70–79
~600 deaths among those aged 80+
Pakistan is ageing — without an ageing-ready health system.
👨🦱👩🦱 Men vs women
Out of yesterday’s ~4,000 deaths:
~2,130 were men (53%)
~1,870 were women (47%)