Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, rural, both sexes in Pakistan
Pakistan: Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, rural, both sexes was 42.5% in 2019. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, rural, both sexes in Pakistan, 1981–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, rural, both sexes in Pakistan is 42.5%, measured in 2019. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
The figure is up 2.6% on the previous year and up 15.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, rural, both sexes in Pakistan peaked at 42.5% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 14.9%, in 1981.
That places Pakistan 46th out of 53 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, rural, both sexes in Pakistan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 14.9% | — |
| 1998 | 26.1% | +75.0% |
| 2005 | 33.3% | +27.6% |
| 2006 | 36.6% | +9.9% |
| 2007 | 35.1% | -3.9% |
| 2008 | 39.1% | +11.4% |
| 2009 | 36.7% | -6.3% |
| 2010 | 37.5% | +2.1% |
| 2011 | 36.1% | -3.5% |
| 2012 | 38.8% | +7.2% |
| 2013 | 37.2% | -3.9% |
| 2014 | 38.1% | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 40.9% | +7.4% |
| 2018 | 41.4% | +1.3% |
| 2019 | 42.5% | +2.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 14.9% | 14.9% | 14.9% | 1 |
| 1990s | 26.1% | 26.1% | 26.1% | 1 |
| 2000s | 36.2% | 33.3% | 39.1% | 5 |
| 2010s | 39.1% | 36.1% | 42.5% | 8 |
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, population 25-64 years, rural, both sexes in Pakistan?
- Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, rural, both sexes in Pakistan was 42.5% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, rural, both sexes recorded in Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 42.5% in 2019.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, rural, both sexes recorded in Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.9% in 1981.
- How does Pakistan rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, rural, both sexes?
- Pakistan ranks 46th out of 53 countries with data for 2019.
- Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, rural, both sexes rising or falling in Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.9%. 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, rural, 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