During British India, the town was the administrative headquarters of the Upper Sindh Frontier District of the Bombay Presidency; with a station on the Quetta branch of the North-Western railway, 37 m. from the junction at Ruk, on the main line. It is famous as having consistently the highest temperature in Pakistan. During the month of June the thermometer ranges between 120° and 127 °F. The town was founded on the site of the village of Khangarh in 1847 by General John Jacob, for many years commandant of the Sind Horse, who died here in 1858, and left a marvellous Victoria Tower in his remembrance in the heart of the city. It has cantonments for a cavalry regiment, with accommodation for caravans from Central Asia. It is watered by two canals. An annual horse show is held in January.
At the time of the 2017 census, Jacobabad had a sex ratio of 956 females per 1000 males and a literacy rate of 34.07% - 44.93% for males and 22.77% for females. 297,218 (29.51%) lived in urban areas. 360,298 (35.78%) were under 10 years of age.[5] In 2023, the district had 195,161 households and a population of 1,174,097.[1]
1998 District census report of Jacobabad. Census publication. Vol. 17. Islamabad: Population Census Organization, Statistics Division, Government of Pakistan. 1999.