Literacy rate, adult total in Pakistan
Pakistan: Literacy rate, adult total was 58.9% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, adult total in Pakistan, 1981–2021
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of people ages 15 and above.
Analysis
The most recent figure for literacy rate, adult total in Pakistan is 58.9%, measured in 2021.
That represents a change of up 1.5% on the previous year and up 7.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, adult total in Pakistan peaked at 59.1% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 25.7%, in 1981.
Pakistan ranks 79th of 89 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 16 years of available data.
Literacy rate, adult total in Pakistan, year by year
| Year | % of people ages 15 and above | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 25.7% | — |
| 1998 | 42.7% | +66.0% |
| 2005 | 49.9% | +16.8% |
| 2006 | 54.1% | +8.6% |
| 2007 | 52.1% | -3.7% |
| 2008 | 55.5% | +6.5% |
| 2009 | 54.9% | -1.2% |
| 2010 | 55.4% | +0.9% |
| 2011 | 54.7% | -1.2% |
| 2012 | 56.8% | +3.7% |
| 2013 | 55.6% | -2.1% |
| 2014 | 57.0% | +2.5% |
| 2017 | 59.1% | +3.8% |
| 2018 | 57.0% | -3.6% |
| 2019 | 58.0% | +1.7% |
| 2021 | 58.9% | +1.5% |
Pakistan compared with similar countries
- Pakistan's 58.9% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 78.2%, 75% of the median. (31 countries reporting)
- Pakistan's 58.9% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 94.4%, 62% of the median. (15 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Literacy rate, adult total 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 | +66.0% | 25.7% | 42.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 25.7% | 25.7% | 25.7% | 1 |
| 1990s | 42.7% | 42.7% | 42.7% | 1 |
| 2000s | 53.3% | 49.9% | 55.5% | 5 |
| 2010s | 56.7% | 54.7% | 59.1% | 8 |
| 2020s | 58.9% | 58.9% | 58.9% | 1 |
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 literacy rate, adult total in Pakistan?
- Literacy rate, adult total in Pakistan was 58.9% in 2021, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, adult total recorded in Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 59.1% in 2017.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, adult total recorded in Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.7% in 1981.
- How does Pakistan rank for literacy rate, adult total?
- Pakistan ranks 79th out of 89 countries with data for 2021.
- Is literacy rate, adult total rising or falling in Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Pakistan data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Literacy rate, adult total (% of people ages 15 and above). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 16 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Adult literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.