Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Pakistan
Pakistan: Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP was 0.2% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Pakistan, 1971–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Pakistan is 0.2%, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 37 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 69.2% on the previous year and down 68.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Pakistan peaked at 1.6% in 1997 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 2023.
That places Pakistan 158th out of 162 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 37 years of available data.
Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Pakistan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 0.5% | — |
| 1972 | 0.5% | +16.7% |
| 1973 | 0.6% | +6.4% |
| 1974 | 0.6% | +2.5% |
| 1975 | 0.6% | +3.9% |
| 1976 | 0.7% | +12.3% |
| 1977 | 0.7% | -5.2% |
| 1978 | 0.5% | -16.0% |
| 1979 | 0.7% | +34.6% |
| 1980 | 0.8% | +11.2% |
| 1981 | 0.7% | -18.5% |
| 1982 | 0.7% | -2.4% |
| 1983 | 0.6% | -1.4% |
| 1984 | 0.7% | +8.4% |
| 1985 | 0.8% | +11.8% |
| 1986 | 0.8% | +6.0% |
| 1987 | 0.9% | +13.7% |
| 1989 | 1.0% | +7.5% |
| 1990 | 1.1% | +8.4% |
| 1991 | 1.1% | -0.9% |
| 1992 | 1.1% | +3.6% |
| 1993 | 1.1% | -5.3% |
| 1994 | 1.2% | +13.5% |
| 1995 | 1.3% | +11.1% |
| 1996 | 1.3% | -1.4% |
| 1997 | 1.6% | +18.3% |
| 2013 | 0.7% | -53.5% |
| 2014 | 0.8% | +5.9% |
| 2015 | 0.7% | -4.3% |
| 2016 | 1.0% | +37.3% |
| 2017 | 1.0% | +2.7% |
| 2018 | 1.1% | +8.8% |
| 2019 | 1.1% | -6.3% |
| 2020 | 1.0% | -8.5% |
| 2021 | 0.8% | -17.0% |
| 2022 | 0.8% | -6.0% |
| 2023 | 0.2% | -69.2% |
Pakistan compared with similar countries
- Pakistan's 0.2% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.7%, 14% of the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Pakistan's 0.2% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 1.4%, 16% of the median. (15 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | -69.2% | 0.8% | 0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.7% | 9 |
| 1980s | 0.8% | 0.6% | 1.0% | 9 |
| 1990s | 1.2% | 1.1% | 1.6% | 8 |
| 2010s | 0.9% | 0.7% | 1.1% | 7 |
| 2020s | 0.7% | 0.2% | 1.0% | 4 |
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 government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Pakistan?
- Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Pakistan was 0.2% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 1.6% in 1997.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 2023.
- How does Pakistan rank for government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp?
- Pakistan ranks 158th out of 162 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 68.0%. 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 Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release