Pakistan and India celebrate their independence day on August 14 and 15, respectively.
The countries emerged from the partition of British India in 1947 and have since been geopolitical rivals, fighting several wars and stockpiling nuclear weapons.
They also compete fiercely in the unofficial national sport of cricket, which attracts large audiences in both countries.
Home to a combined total of more than 1.6 billion people, or about a fifth of the global population, the two countries are among the most populous in the world.
India is significantly larger and has an economy to match, but both nations are important globally.
Here are seven charts that compare India and Pakistan in 2023.
Population
Both countries are among the top 10 most populous in the world. They continue to grow.
India this year overtook China to become the world’s most populous country, the UN said.
Its population of 1.4 billion is spread across states that are larger than many countries. About 200 million people live in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.
Pakistan is much smaller, but is still the world's fifth most populous country, with more than 230 million people.
It is also one of the world's fastest growing countries and is expected to reach a population of about 487 million by 2100.
Both countries face demographic challenges and opportunities due to their growing populations.
More than half of India's population is below the age of 30, with 27.6 the median age.
Pakistan has an even younger population, with an average age of 20.2, and 65 per cent are under 30.
Both have more men than women, with 106.7 men for every 100 women in India and 101.9 men for every 100 women in Pakistan.
Economy
India's economy is far larger than that of its neighbour.
India is the world's fifth largest economy and is expected to record further growth this year.
Meanwhile, Pakistan is facing economic problems. It has the fastest inflation rate in Asia – it was 28.3 per cent in July – in contrast to India's rate of 4.8 per cent for the same month.
This year, Pakistan was forced to secure a $3 billion bailout package from the International Monetary Fund, after the country came close to defaulting on its debts.
Pakistan has taken more than 20 loans from the IMF since 1958 and relies on external help more heavily than India.
This foreign aid helped Pakistan's economy to grow faster than India's from the 1960s through the 1980s, but India has outpaced its neighbour in growth since liberalising its economy in 1991.
The difference in their economies is illustrated by their diverging gross domestic product per capita, which shows a country's GDP – the total monetary value of all the services and goods produced within a country – divided by its population.
Last year, India's was $2,380, compared with Pakistan's $1,660.
Despite India's progress in growth, both countries face economic challenges, with high rates of poverty and stark inequality.
About 230 million people remain in multidimensional poverty in India, according to data from 2019 and 2021, despite 645 million escaping poverty from 2005 to 2006, a UN Development Programme report said.
It said Pakistan had 84 million people in poverty between 2017 and 2018, down from 91 million in 2012 to 2013.
Military
India and Pakistan have fought four major wars since gaining independence from Britain, predominantly centred on the disputed Kashmir region.
The countries fought for control of Jammu and Kashmir between 1947 and 1948. The conflict was inconclusive and left India in control of about two thirds of the territory.
A further war in 1965 changed little.
The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 took place as part of the Bangladesh Liberation War, in which India supported Bengali nationalists in their move to gain independence from Pakistan.
Pakistan suffered a defeat and what was formerly known as East Pakistan became the independent nation of Bangladesh.
Although skirmishes and limited conflicts continue to break out periodically between India and Pakistan, the last major conflict was the Kargil War in 1999. It was once more fought over Kashmir, with minimal changes in the territory following the fighting.
Both countries are nuclear powers and it is believed their nuclear arsenals are of similar size.
Neither has signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, a global pact to stop the spread of nuclear weapons.
India has pledged that it would not be the first to use nuclear weapons in a conflict with its neighbour. Pakistani officials have previously said the country would use "any weapon in our arsenal" if it was invaded.
Sport
Sporting contests between India and Pakistan have been described as "war minus shooting".
No sport comes close to cricket for its popular appeal in the countries, and no fixture is bigger in the sport's calendar than India versus Pakistan, which attracts a massive audience.
“India playing Pakistan involves the sentiments of millions. You become a hero if you perform well … you are portrayed as a villain if your team loses,” former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram was quoted by Dawn as saying.
Every victory on the cricket field counts.
Pakistan have the edge over India in head-to-head matches. Their national team have won 88 matches, compared with India's 72.
However, India have won the Cricket World Cup twice (1983 and 2011), while Pakistan have won it once (1992).
Both have won the T20 World Cup once. India have won the ICC Champions Trophy twice, while Pakistan won once.
In women’s cricket, India have won all 11 ODIs against Pakistan. India's team have won 11 T20 matches compared with Pakistan's three.
Outside cricket, Pakistan have a strong record in men's hockey, having won the World Cup and four Olympic gold medals. India have triumphed in one World Cup and have earned five Olympic golds since independence.
India have won 30 Olympic medals, while Pakistan have won 10.
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
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Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
Spain drain
CONVICTED
Lionel Messi Found guilty in 2016 of of using companies in Belize, Britain, Switzerland and Uruguay to avoid paying €4.1m in taxes on income earned from image rights. Sentenced to 21 months in jail and fined more than €2m. But prison sentence has since been replaced by another fine of €252,000.
Javier Mascherano Accepted one-year suspended sentence in January 2016 for tax fraud after found guilty of failing to pay €1.5m in taxes for 2011 and 2012. Unlike Messi he avoided trial by admitting to tax evasion.
Angel di Maria Argentina and Paris Saint-Germain star Angel di Maria was fined and given a 16-month prison sentence for tax fraud during his time at Real Madrid. But he is unlikely to go to prison as is normal in Spain for first offences for non-violent crimes carrying sentence of less than two years.
SUSPECTED
Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid's star striker, accused of evading €14.7m in taxes, appears in court on Monday. Portuguese star faces four charges of fraud through offshore companies.
Jose Mourinho Manchester United manager accused of evading €3.3m in tax in 2011 and 2012, during time in charge at Real Madrid. But Gestifute, which represents him, says he has already settled matter with Spanish tax authorities.
Samuel Eto'o In November 2016, Spanish prosecutors sought jail sentence of 10 years and fines totalling €18m for Cameroonian, accused of failing to pay €3.9m in taxes during time at Barcelona from 2004 to 2009.
Radamel Falcao Colombian striker Falcao suspected of failing to correctly declare €7.4m of income earned from image rights between 2012 and 2013 while at Atletico Madrid. He has since paid €8.2m to Spanish tax authorities, a sum that includes interest on the original amount.
Jorge Mendes Portuguese super-agent put under official investigation last month by Spanish court investigating alleged tax evasion by Falcao, a client of his. He defended himself, telling closed-door hearing he "never" advised players in tax matters.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
RESULTS
Men – semi-finals
57kg – Tak Chuen Suen (MAC) beat Phuong Xuan Nguyen (VIE) 29-28; Almaz Sarsembekov (KAZ) beat Zakaria Eljamari (UAE) by points 30-27.
67kg – Mohammed Mardi (UAE) beat Huong The Nguyen (VIE) by points 30-27; Narin Wonglakhon (THA) v Mojtaba Taravati Aram (IRI) by points 29-28.
60kg – Yerkanat Ospan (KAZ) beat Amir Hosein Kaviani (IRI) 30-27; Long Doan Nguyen (VIE) beat Ibrahim Bilal (UAE) 29-28
63.5kg – Abil Galiyev (KAZ) beat Truong Cao Phat (VIE) 30-27; Nouredine Samir (UAE) beat Norapat Khundam (THA) RSC round 3.
71kg – Shaker Al Tekreeti (IRQ) beat Fawzi Baltagi (LBN) 30-27; Amine El Moatassime (UAE) beat Man Kongsib (THA) 29-28
81kg – Ilyass Hbibali (UAE) beat Alexandr Tsarikov (KAZ) 29-28; Khaled Tarraf (LBN) beat Mustafa Al Tekreeti (IRQ) 30-27
86kg – Ali Takaloo (IRI) beat Mohammed Al Qahtani (KSA) RSC round 1; Emil Umayev (KAZ) beat Ahmad Bahman (UAE) TKO round
ENGLAND SQUAD
Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Tom Curran, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Manchester United v Everton
Where: Old Trafford, Manchester
When: Sunday, kick-off 7pm (UAE)
How to watch: Live on BeIN Sports 11HD
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh100,000 (estimate)
Engine 2.4L four-cylinder
Gearbox Nine-speed automatic
Power 184bhp at 6,400rpm
Torque 237Nm at 3,900rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.4L/100km
The specs
Engine: 5.0-litre V8
Power: 480hp at 7,250rpm
Torque: 566Nm at 4,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: L/100km
Price: Dh306,495
On sale: now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
England Test squad
Ben Stokes (captain), Joe Root, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Foakes, Jack Leach, Alex Lees, Craig Overton, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts
