Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, rural, female in Pakistan
Pakistan: Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, rural, female was 27.93 million in 2019. ▲ Rising
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, rural, female in Pakistan, 1998–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Pakistan recorded 27.93 million for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, rural, female in 2019.
The figure is down 0.1% on the previous year and up 6.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, rural, female in Pakistan peaked at 27.97 million in 2018 and was at its lowest, 21.33 million, in 1998.
That places Pakistan 1st out of 40 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 14 years of available data.
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, rural, female in Pakistan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 21.33 million | — |
| 2005 | 25.27 million | +18.5% |
| 2006 | 23.68 million | -6.3% |
| 2007 | 25.04 million | +5.7% |
| 2008 | 24.89 million | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 26.19 million | +5.2% |
| 2010 | 26.67 million | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 27.12 million | +1.7% |
| 2012 | 26.98 million | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 27.91 million | +3.5% |
| 2014 | 27.63 million | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 27.86 million | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 27.97 million | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 27.93 million | -0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 21.33 million | 21.33 million | 21.33 million | 1 |
| 2000s | 25.01 million | 23.68 million | 26.19 million | 5 |
| 2010s | 27.51 million | 26.67 million | 27.97 million | 8 |
Countries ranked near Pakistan
- 2 Bangladesh 7.26 million compare
- 3 Indonesia 3.76 million compare
- 4 Mozambique 3.62 million compare
More education data for Pakistan
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 2.04 million (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 440,233 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 5.05 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 4.90 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 19.70 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 25.38 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 3.1 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.101 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, rural, female in Pakistan?
- Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, rural, female in Pakistan was 27.93 million in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, rural, female recorded in Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 27.97 million in 2018.
- What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, rural, female recorded in Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.33 million in 1998.
- How does Pakistan rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, rural, female?
- Pakistan ranks 1st out of 40 countries with data for 2019.
- Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, rural, female rising or falling in Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Pakistan data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, rural, female (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release