Educational attainment rate, completed primary … primary both in Pakistan
Pakistan: Educational attainment rate, completed primary … primary both was 49.2% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in Pakistan, 1972–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2021, educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in Pakistan stood at 49.2%.
The figure is down 0.6% on the previous year and up 1.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in Pakistan peaked at 49.8% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 16.4%, in 1972.
Pakistan ranks 120th of 137 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Educational attainment rate, completed primary … primary both in Pakistan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 16.4% | — |
| 2006 | 45.9% | +180.1% |
| 2008 | 45.5% | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 45.0% | -1.2% |
| 2010 | 46.2% | +2.8% |
| 2011 | 48.6% | +5.0% |
| 2012 | 47.7% | -1.8% |
| 2013 | 48.5% | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 49.8% | +2.6% |
| 2015 | 47.8% | -4.1% |
| 2016 | 44.8% | -6.2% |
| 2017 | 48.8% | +8.9% |
| 2018 | 48.0% | -1.7% |
| 2019 | 49.5% | +3.2% |
| 2021 | 49.2% | -0.6% |
Pakistan compared with similar countries
- Pakistan's 49.2% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 67.7%, 73% of the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Pakistan's 49.2% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 88.8%, 55% of the median. (16 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Educational attainment rate, completed primary … primary 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | +180.1% | 16.4% | 45.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 16.4% | 16.4% | 16.4% | 1 |
| 2000s | 45.5% | 45.0% | 45.9% | 3 |
| 2010s | 48.0% | 44.8% | 49.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 49.2% | 49.2% | 49.2% | 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 primary education or higher in Pakistan?
- Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in Pakistan was 49.2% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher recorded in Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 49.8% in 2014.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher recorded in Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.4% in 1972.
- How does Pakistan rank for educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher?
- Pakistan ranks 120th out of 137 countries with data for 2021.
- Is educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher rising or falling in Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.4%. 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 primary education or higher, population 25+ years, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release