Total Population
1,894,600 2023 Census 2017 Census: 1,625,477
Swabi District
Swabi District is the second district of Mardan Division, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, headquartered at Swabi City. It is home to Bacha Khan Medical Complex (MTI teaching hospital) and forms part of the division’s agricultural belt and Gadoon Amazai industrial corridor.
Basic Information
Total Area & Headquarters
1,543 km² Headquarters: Swabi City
Tehsils & Union Councils
4 tehsils · 56 union councils Swabi (10) · Chota Lahor (16) · Razar (17) · Topi (13)
Tehsils / Union Councils
| Tehsil | Union Councils |
|---|---|
| Swabi | 10 |
| Chota Lahor | 16 |
| Razar | 17 |
| Topi | 13 |
| Total | 56 |
Indicators
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Total population (2023 Census) | 1,894,600 |
| Total population (2017 Census) | 1,625,477 |
| Total area | 1,543 km² |
| Headquarters | Swabi City |
| Literacy rate (PSLM baseline) | 49% (Male 65%, Female 34%) |
| National Assembly seats | 2 |
| Provincial Assembly seats | 5 |
District Council seats
| Category | Seats |
|---|---|
| General | 56 |
| Women | 19 |
| Peasant / Worker | 3 |
| Minority | 3 |
| Youth | 3 |
| Total reserved & general | 84 |
Educational Institutions
| Type | Boys | Girls |
|---|---|---|
| Primary schools | 561 | 444 |
| Middle schools | 68 | 60 |
| High schools | 79 | 51 |
| Higher secondary schools | 21 | 14 |
| Mosque schools | 44 | |
| Degree colleges | 7 | 8 |
| Polytechnic institute | 1 | |
| Commerce college | 1 | |
| Private primary schools | 60 | |
| Private schools (middle–higher secondary) | 171 | |
| Post-graduate college | 1 | |
| Medical college | Gajju Khan Medical College (newly established) | |
| University | University of Swabi | |
| Engineering university/college | Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute (private) + 1 engineering college | |
Hospitals
| Facility type | Number | Beds |
|---|---|---|
| Hospitals | 6 | 530 |
| Dispensaries | 10 | — |
| Rural Health Centres | 6 | 90 |
| Basic Health Units | 38 | — |
| Mother & Child Health Centres | 3 | — |
| TB Clinics | 2 | — |
| Leprosy Centre | 1 | — |
| Private hospitals | 10 | 175 |
| Private medical practitioners | 135 | — |
| Bacha Khan Medical Complex (MTI teaching hospital) | 1 | 452 |
Police Stations
10 police stations district-wide under the District Police Officer, Swabi, reporting to the Regional Police Officer, Mardan Range.
National Assembly Constituencies (2024 general election)
| Seat | Member | Area |
|---|---|---|
| NA-19 Swabi-I | Asad Qaiser (IND) | Swabi — former National Assembly Speaker |
| NA-20 Swabi-II | Shahram Khan Tarakai (IND) | Swabi — 123,828 votes |
Provincial Assembly Constituencies
| Seat | Member |
|---|---|
| PK-49 | Rangez Ahmad (IND) |
| PK-50 | Aqib Ullah (IND) |
| PK-51 | Abdul Karim Khan (IND) |
| PK-52 | Faisal Khan Tarakai (IND) |
| PK-53 | Murtaza Khan (IND) |
Priority Issues and Challenges
| Issue | Detail |
|---|---|
| Poor Road Infrastructure | Link-road gaps to Gadoon, Yar Hussain and riverine settlements; heavy reliance on the M-1 motorway corridor with weaker rural connectivity beyond it. |
| Health | Gajju Khan Medical College is still housed in temporary premises at Bacha Khan Medical Complex pending its purpose-built campus at Ambar Kunda; Swabi has no public-sector nursing college despite regional demand. |
| Water Crisis | Flood exposure at the Kabul–Indus confluence near Hund and along the Ghazi-Barotha channel; only 10.9% of houses had piped water at the 1998 baseline. |
| Unemployment | Gadoon Amazai Industrial Estate’s contraction from 325 units/14,843 jobs (pre-1991) to 152 registered units today has left the Gadoon area (population ≈0.3 million) with high joblessness among both skilled and unskilled labour. |
| Environmental Challenges | Dust from stone crushers is the main pollutant given the district’s now-limited industrial-emission footprint; seismic Zone 2B exposure across the district. |