Ruth Pfau

German-Pakistani physician and Catholic nun (1929–2017)
Person human Q77128
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Ruth Pfau

Summary

Ruth Pfau is a human[1]. She was born in Leipzig[2]. She was born on September 9, 1929[3]. She died in Karachi[4]. She died on August 10, 2017[5]. She worked as a Christian nun[6], physician writer[7], writer[8], physician[9], and nun[10]. She ranks in the top 0.72% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (433 views/month, #7,240 of 1,000,298).[11]

Key Facts

  • Ruth Pfau's place of birth was Leipzig[2].
  • Ruth Pfau died in Karachi[4].
  • Ruth Pfau was born on September 9, 1929[3].
  • Ruth Pfau died on August 10, 2017[5].
  • Burial took place at Gora Qabaristan, Karachi[12].
  • Ruth Pfau held citizenship in Germany[13].
  • Ruth Pfau held citizenship in Pakistan[14].
  • Ruth Pfau held citizenship in British Raj[15].
  • Ruth Pfau worked as a Christian nun[6].
  • Ruth Pfau's professions included physician writer[7].
  • Ruth Pfau worked as a writer[8].
  • Ruth Pfau's professions included physician[9].
  • Ruth Pfau worked as a nun[10].
  • Ruth Pfau's field of work was medicine[16].
  • Ruth Pfau's field of work was health care[17].
  • Ruth Pfau's field of work was human health activities[18].
  • Ruth Pfau's field of work was order of canons regular[19].
  • Among Ruth Pfau's employers was Marie Adelaide Leprosy Centre[20].
  • Ruth Pfau was educated at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz[21].
  • Ruth Pfau received the Knight Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany[22].
  • Ruth Pfau received the Ramon Magsaysay Award[23].
  • Ruth Pfau received the Albert Schweitzer prize[24].
  • Ruth Pfau received the Hilal-e-Pakistan[25].
  • Ruth Pfau received the Klaus Hemmerle Award[26].
  • Ruth Pfau received the honorary citizenship[27].

Body

Origins and Family

Ruth Pfau was born in Leipzig[2]. She was born on September 9, 1929[3].

Education

Ruth Pfau was educated at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz[21].

Career and Affiliations

Recorded occupations include Christian nun[6], physician writer[7], writer[8], physician[9], and nun[10]. Fields of work include medicine[16], a field of study[28]; health care[17], an industry[29]; human health activities[18], an economic activity[30]; and order of canons regular[19]. Among Ruth Pfau's employers was Marie Adelaide Leprosy Centre[20].

Recognition

Awards received include Knight Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany[22], a grade of an order[31], in Germany[32]; Ramon Magsaysay Award[23], an award[33], in Philippines[34], founded in 1958[35]; Albert Schweitzer prize[24], an award[36], in Switzerland[37]; Hilal-e-Pakistan[25], an award[38]; Klaus Hemmerle Award[26], an award[39], founded in 2004[40]; and honorary citizenship[27], a type of award[41].

Personal Life

Ruth Pfau's religion is recorded as Catholic Church[42].

Death and Burial

Ruth Pfau died on August 10, 2017[5]. She passed away in Karachi[4]. The cause of death was cardiovascular disease[43]. Burial took place at Gora Qabaristan, Karachi[12].

Why It Matters

Ruth Pfau ranks in the top 0.72% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (433 views/month, #7,240 of 1,000,298).[11] She has Wikipedia articles in 20 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[44] She is known by 14 alternative names across languages and contexts.[45]

FAQs

Where was Ruth Pfau born?

Born in Leipzig[2], Ruth Pfau…

Where did Ruth Pfau die?

Ruth Pfau died in Karachi[4].

What did Ruth Pfau do for work?

Ruth Pfau worked as Christian nun[6], physician writer[7], writer[8], physician[9], and nun[10].

Where did Ruth Pfau go to school?

Ruth Pfau was educated at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz[21].

What awards did Ruth Pfau receive?

Honors received include Knight Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany[22], Ramon Magsaysay Award[23], Albert Schweitzer prize[24], and Hilal-e-Pakistan[25].

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

  1. [2] . telegraph.co.uk. telegraph.co.uk. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  2. [4] . ruth-pfau-schule.de. ruth-pfau-schule.de. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  3. [13] . wikidata.org.
  4. [14] . ucanews.com. ucanews.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  5. [15] . wikidata.org.
  6. [21] . wikidata.org.
  7. [16] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  8. [17] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  9. [18] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  10. [19] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  11. [6] . wikidata.org.
  12. [7] . wikidata.org.
  13. [8] . wikidata.org.
  14. [9] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  15. [10] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  16. [20] . wikidata.org.
  17. [12] . tribune.com.pk. tribune.com.pk. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  18. [42] . Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  19. [22] . wikidata.org.
  20. [23] . web.archive.org. web.archive.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  21. [24] . wikidata.org.
  22. [25] . ucanews.com. ucanews.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  23. [26] . web.archive.org. web.archive.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  24. [27] . wikidata.org.
  25. [43] . wikidata.org.
  26. [3] . BnF authorities. telegraph.co.uk. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  27. [5] . BnF authorities. dawn.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.

Inline context (facts about related entities)

  1. [28] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [29] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [30] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [31] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  5. [32] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  6. [33] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  7. [34] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  8. [35] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  9. [36] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  10. [37] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  11. [38] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  12. [39] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  13. [40] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  14. [41] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site

Class ancestry

  1. [1] . Wikidata. wikidata.org.

Aggregate / graph-position facts

  1. [11] . Wikimedia Foundation. dumps.wikimedia.org.
  2. [44] . Wikidata sitelinks. wikidata.org.
  3. [45] . Wikidata aliases. wikidata.org.

📑 Cite this page

Use these citations when quoting this entity in research, articles, AI prompts, or wherever provenance matters. We aggregate Wikidata + Wikipedia + authoritative open-data sources; the stitched, scored, cross-referenced view is what 4ort.xyz contributes.

APA 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). Ruth Pfau. Retrieved April 10, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/ruth-pfau
MLA “Ruth Pfau.” 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph, 4ort.xyz, 10 Apr. 2026, https://4ort.xyz/entity/ruth-pfau.
BibTeX @misc{4ortxyz_ruth-pfau_2026, author = {{4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph}}, title = {{Ruth Pfau}}, year = {2026}, url = {https://4ort.xyz/entity/ruth-pfau}, note = {Accessed: 2026-04-10}}
LLM prompt According to 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph (aggregator of Wikidata, Wikipedia, and authoritative open-data sources): Ruth Pfau — https://4ort.xyz/entity/ruth-pfau (retrieved 2026-04-10)

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Edit History

Rolling log of changes to this entity's Wikidata record. Values shown reflect the current state of each edited property — follow the history link to see the precise diff for any edit.

  1. 8d ago · Epìdosis · 2026-05-21 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Place of death Karachi
    Award received
    Cause of death cardiovascular disease
    Instance of human
    + 27 other properties edited (see Wikidata diff for full list)
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/32152|batch #32152]]: import P21 and P106 from GND (34)"
Live feed via Wikidata EventStreams. New edits appear within minutes of being made on Wikidata.