Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male in Pakistan
Pakistan: Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male was 79.5% in 2019. ▲ Rising
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male in Pakistan, 1981–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male in Pakistan is 79.5%, measured in 2019.
That represents a change of down 0.9% on the previous year and down 0.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male in Pakistan peaked at 82.0% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 56.9%, in 1981.
Pakistan ranks 52nd of 57 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male in Pakistan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 56.9% | — |
| 1998 | 72.1% | +26.6% |
| 2005 | 78.0% | +8.2% |
| 2006 | 80.7% | +3.5% |
| 2007 | 78.0% | -3.3% |
| 2008 | 80.0% | +2.5% |
| 2009 | 80.1% | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 80.1% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 79.0% | -1.4% |
| 2012 | 80.5% | +2.0% |
| 2013 | 80.8% | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 81.9% | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 82.0% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 80.2% | -2.2% |
| 2019 | 79.5% | -0.9% |
Pakistan compared with similar countries
- Pakistan's 79.5% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 91.0%, 87% of the median. (16 countries reporting)
- Pakistan's 79.5% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 96.7%, 82% of the median. (11 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male in Pakistan changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | +26.6% | 56.9% | 72.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 56.9% | 56.9% | 56.9% | 1 |
| 1990s | 72.1% | 72.1% | 72.1% | 1 |
| 2000s | 79.4% | 78.0% | 80.7% | 5 |
| 2010s | 80.5% | 79.0% | 82.0% | 8 |
Countries ranked near Pakistan
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 literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male in Pakistan?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male in Pakistan was 79.5% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male recorded in Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 82.0% in 2017.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male recorded in Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 56.9% in 1981.
- How does Pakistan rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male?
- Pakistan ranks 52nd out of 57 countries with data for 2019.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male rising or falling in Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.7%. 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 literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release