Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in Pakistan
Pakistan: Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher 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 119th of 136 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 education or higher 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% |
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
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 445,877 (2024)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 2 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 59.4% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 36.2% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 10 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 5 years (2025)
- Primary secondary enrollment completion rates, gaps filled 83.73 (2024)
- School enrollment, primary 83.7% (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 119th out of 136 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