Literacy rate of young men vs. women in Pakistan
Pakistan: Literacy rate of young men vs. women was 79.5% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate of young men vs. women in Pakistan, 1981–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Pakistan recorded 79.5% for literacy rate of young men vs. women in 2021.
That represents a change of down 0.3% on the previous year and up 1.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate of young men vs. women in Pakistan peaked at 81.3% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 44.5%, in 1981.
Pakistan ranks 84th of 95 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 of young men vs. women in Pakistan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 44.5% | — |
| 1998 | 67.2% | +50.9% |
| 2005 | 76.7% | +14.1% |
| 2006 | 79.1% | +3.2% |
| 2007 | 75.2% | -4.9% |
| 2008 | 79.4% | +5.6% |
| 2009 | 79.1% | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 79.5% | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 78.0% | -1.8% |
| 2012 | 80.3% | +2.9% |
| 2013 | 79.4% | -1.1% |
| 2014 | 79.8% | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 81.3% | +1.9% |
| 2018 | 79.8% | -1.8% |
| 2019 | 79.7% | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 79.5% | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 44.5% | 44.5% | 44.5% | 1 |
| 1990s | 67.2% | 67.2% | 67.2% | 1 |
| 2000s | 77.9% | 75.2% | 79.4% | 5 |
| 2010s | 79.7% | 78.0% | 81.3% | 8 |
| 2020s | 79.5% | 79.5% | 79.5% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Pakistan
- 81 Côte d'Ivoire 82.1% compare
- 82 Nigeria 81.3% compare
- 83 Malawi 81.3% compare
- 85 Zambia 79.3% compare
- 86 Mozambique 78.4% compare
- 87 Sierra Leone 78.2% compare
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 of young men vs. women in Pakistan?
- Literacy rate of young men vs. women in Pakistan was 79.5% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literacy rate of young men vs. women recorded in Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 81.3% in 2017.
- What is the lowest literacy rate of young men vs. women recorded in Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 44.5% in 1981.
- How does Pakistan rank for literacy rate of young men vs. women?
- Pakistan ranks 84th out of 95 countries with data for 2021.
- Is literacy rate of young men vs. women rising or falling in Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.8%. 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 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Literacy rate of young men vs. women. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of men aged 15 to 24 years who can read and write.