Literacy rate, youth female in Pakistan
Pakistan: Literacy rate, youth female was 66.5% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, youth female in Pakistan, 1981–2021
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of females ages 15-24.
Analysis
Pakistan recorded 66.5% for literacy rate, youth female in 2021.
The figure is up 2.0% on the previous year and up 5.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, youth female in Pakistan peaked at 67.5% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 23.8%, in 1981.
That places Pakistan 95th out of 105 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, youth female in Pakistan, year by year
| Year | % of females ages 15-24 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 23.8% | — |
| 1998 | 43.1% | +80.9% |
| 2005 | 53.1% | +23.2% |
| 2006 | 58.4% | +9.9% |
| 2007 | 56.8% | -2.7% |
| 2008 | 61.2% | +7.9% |
| 2009 | 61.5% | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 62.3% | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 63.1% | +1.3% |
| 2012 | 64.5% | +2.1% |
| 2013 | 63.4% | -1.6% |
| 2014 | 65.5% | +3.3% |
| 2017 | 67.5% | +3.0% |
| 2018 | 64.3% | -4.7% |
| 2019 | 65.2% | +1.3% |
| 2021 | 66.5% | +2.0% |
Pakistan compared with similar countries
- Pakistan's 66.5% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 93.8%, 71% of the median. (36 countries reporting)
- Pakistan's 66.5% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 98.6%, 67% of the median. (17 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Literacy rate, youth female 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 | +80.9% | 23.8% | 43.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 23.8% | 23.8% | 23.8% | 1 |
| 1990s | 43.1% | 43.1% | 43.1% | 1 |
| 2000s | 58.2% | 53.1% | 61.5% | 5 |
| 2010s | 64.5% | 62.3% | 67.5% | 8 |
| 2020s | 66.5% | 66.5% | 66.5% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Pakistan
- 92 Sierra Leone 67.9% compare
- 93 Burkina Faso 67.1% compare
- 94 Mauritania 67.0% compare
- 96 Senegal 65.6% compare
- 97 Mozambique 65.4% compare
- 98 Gambia 62.5% 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, youth female in Pakistan?
- Literacy rate, youth female in Pakistan was 66.5% in 2021, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, youth female recorded in Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 67.5% in 2017.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, youth female recorded in Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 23.8% in 1981.
- How does Pakistan rank for literacy rate, youth female?
- Pakistan ranks 95th out of 105 countries with data for 2021.
- Is literacy rate, youth female rising or falling in Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.4%. 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, youth female (% of females ages 15-24). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Youth literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15-24 who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.