Pakistan: education in numbers
Pre-primary enrolment is 82.6% (2019), 74th of 176 in the world and 4th of 15 in the Middle East & North Africa. Primary enrolment is 83.7% (2024), 177th of 191 in the world and 16th of 19 in the Middle East & North Africa. Primary completion is 74.1% (2024), 142nd of 168 in the world and 17th of 19 in the Middle East & North Africa.
Education: Pakistan in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-primary enrolmentPre-primary enrolment, % gross | 82.6%2019 | 74/176 | 4/15 | 60.9% | 91.7%2011 | 82.6%2019 | +9.5 ppsince 2009 | 33.8% | 58.5% | 60.9% | |
| Primary enrolmentPrimary school enrolment, % gross | 83.7%2024 | 177/191 | 16/19 | 62.8% | 73.6% | 80.3%2021 | +11.5 ppsince 2014 | 94.6% | 105.4% | 102.2% | |
| Primary completionPrimary completion rate, % of age group | 74.1%2024 | 142/168 | 17/19 | · | 53.5% | 64.4%2021 | +17.2 ppsince 2014 | 83.7% | 88.0% | 88.0% | |
| Secondary enrolmentSecondary school enrolment, % gross | 48.3%2024 | 159/176 | 16/17 | · | 29.3% | 40.3%2021 | +15.6 ppsince 2014 | 65.8% | 68.0% | 77.3% | |
| Lower secondary completionLower secondary completion rate, % of age group | 55.8%2024 | 140/168 | 17/19 | · | 33.7% | 44.9%2021 | +17.2 ppsince 2014 | 66.7% | 73.7% | 77.9% | |
| Tertiary enrolmentTertiary enrolment, % gross | 10.9%2024 | 149/172 | 18/19 | · | 7.0% | 11.7% | +2.1 ppsince 2014 | 29.7% | 27.4% | 43.6% | |
| Out-of-school childrenChildren out of school, % of primary school age | 17.9%2024 | 25/178 | 3/17 | · | · | 30.2%2021 | — | — | 8.3% | — | |
| Adult literacyAdult literacy rate, % of people 15+ | 58.9%2021 | 128/141 | 17/18 | 42.7%1998 | 55.4% | 58.9%2021 | +4.1 ppsince 2011 | 75.6% | 78.3% | 87.7% | |
| Youth literacyYouth literacy rate, % of people 15–24 | 73.1%2021 | 133/148 | 18/19 | 55.3%1998 | 71.3% | 73.1%2021 | +2.4 ppsince 2011 | 86.9% | 91.9% | 93.1% | |
| Pupils per teacherPupils per teacher, primary | 44.12018 | 12/173 | 2/20 | 33.0 | 40.5 | 44.12018 | +8.4%since 2008 | 21.3 | 28.9 | 23.4 | |
| Education spendingPublic spending on education, % of GDP | 1.9%2023 | 168/184 | 14/16 | 1.8% | 2.1% | 2.1% | −0.3 ppsince 2013 | 4.4% | 3.4% | 3.6% | |
| Education, % of budgetEducation spending, % of government expenditure | 9.8%2023 | 146/179 | 12/15 | 8.5% | 11.9% | 10.8% | −1.8 ppsince 2013 | 13.1% | 13.6% | 14.0% |
Better than ten years ago
- Pre-primary enrolment+9.5 pp82.6% in 2019
- Primary completion+17.2 pp74.1% in 2024
- Secondary enrolment+15.6 pp48.3% in 2024
- Lower secondary completion+17.2 pp55.8% in 2024
Worse than ten years ago
- Pupils per teacher+8.4%44.1 in 2018
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
Pakistan and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Pakistan. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Pakistan | India | China | Iran | Afghanistan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-primary enrolment | 82.6%2019 | 51.7%2021 | 93.1%2021 | 72.5%2020 | 1.1%2011 |
| Primary enrolment | 83.7%2024 | 111.0%2025 | 99.6%2024 | 102.0%2023 | 112.2%2023 |
| Primary completion | 74.1%2024 | 90.3%2025 | 103.5%2010 | 97.4%2023 | 90.3%2023 |
| Secondary enrolment | 48.3%2024 | 79.6%2025 | 92.3%2012 | 85.1%2023 | 59.6%2023 |
| Lower secondary completion | 55.8%2024 | 88.0%2025 | 103.6%2012 | 85.2%2023 | 62.1%2023 |
| Tertiary enrolment | 10.9%2024 | 34.4%2025 | 76.9%2024 | 58.7%2022 | 10.9%2020 |
| Out-of-school children | 17.9%2024 | 0.1%2025 | — | 0.1%2023 | — |
| Adult literacy | 58.9%2021 | 78.2%2024 | 96.7%2020 | 88.9%2023 | 37.3%2021 |
| Youth literacy | 73.1%2021 | 97.3%2024 | 99.8%2020 | 98.7%2023 | 62.7%2022 |