Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary … lower both in Pakistan
Pakistan: Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary … lower both was 38.4% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in Pakistan, 1972–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in Pakistan is 38.4%, measured in 2021. That is the highest value across all 16 years on record.
The figure is up 3.0% on the previous year and up 14.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in Pakistan peaked at 38.4% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 10.7%, in 1972.
That places Pakistan 109th out of 135 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 16 years of available data.
Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary … lower both in Pakistan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 10.7% | — |
| 2005 | 26.2% | +144.8% |
| 2006 | 32.5% | +23.9% |
| 2007 | 28.4% | -12.5% |
| 2008 | 32.4% | +14.2% |
| 2009 | 32.2% | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 33.4% | +3.7% |
| 2011 | 33.4% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 35.0% | +4.8% |
| 2013 | 35.4% | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 37.3% | +5.4% |
| 2015 | 35.0% | -6.3% |
| 2017 | 36.4% | +4.1% |
| 2018 | 35.4% | -2.9% |
| 2019 | 37.2% | +5.2% |
| 2021 | 38.4% | +3.0% |
Pakistan compared with similar countries
- Pakistan's 38.4% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 42.3%, 91% of the median. (28 countries reporting)
- Pakistan's 38.4% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 69.5%, 55% of the median. (15 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary … lower both 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | +144.8% | 10.7% | 26.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 10.7% | 10.7% | 10.7% | 1 |
| 2000s | 30.3% | 26.2% | 32.5% | 5 |
| 2010s | 35.4% | 33.4% | 37.3% | 9 |
| 2020s | 38.4% | 38.4% | 38.4% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Pakistan
More education data for Pakistan
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 81.08 (2024)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 82.07 (2024)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in Pakistan?
- Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in Pakistan was 38.4% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or recorded in Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 38.4% in 2021.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or recorded in Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.7% in 1972.
- How does Pakistan rank for educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or?
- Pakistan ranks 109th out of 135 countries with data for 2021.
- Is educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or rising or falling in Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.9%. 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 Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or higher, population 25+ years, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 16 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release