Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in Pakistan
Pakistan: Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male was 66.9% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in Pakistan, 1981–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2021, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in Pakistan stood at 66.9%.
That represents a change of up 0.8% on the previous year and up 4.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in Pakistan peaked at 68.4% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 33.9%, in 1981.
That places Pakistan 77th out of 88 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 16 years of available data.
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in Pakistan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 33.9% | — |
| 1998 | 51.9% | +53.0% |
| 2005 | 60.4% | +16.4% |
| 2006 | 64.3% | +6.5% |
| 2007 | 62.7% | -2.5% |
| 2008 | 66.0% | +5.4% |
| 2009 | 65.8% | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 66.1% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 64.1% | -3.0% |
| 2012 | 67.1% | +4.6% |
| 2013 | 65.8% | -1.9% |
| 2014 | 66.2% | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 68.4% | +3.2% |
| 2018 | 67.0% | -2.0% |
| 2019 | 66.4% | -1.0% |
| 2021 | 66.9% | +0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 33.9% | 33.9% | 33.9% | 1 |
| 1990s | 51.9% | 51.9% | 51.9% | 1 |
| 2000s | 63.8% | 60.4% | 66.0% | 5 |
| 2010s | 66.4% | 64.1% | 68.4% | 8 |
| 2020s | 66.9% | 66.9% | 66.9% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Pakistan
More education data for Pakistan
- 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)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 25.38 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 3.1 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in Pakistan?
- Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in Pakistan was 66.9% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male recorded in Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 68.4% in 2017.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male recorded in Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 33.9% in 1981.
- How does Pakistan rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male?
- Pakistan ranks 77th out of 88 countries with data for 2021.
- Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male rising or falling in Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.4%. 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 Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 16 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release