Literacy rate, youth male in Pakistan
Pakistan: Literacy rate, youth male was 79.5% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, youth male in Pakistan, 1981–2021
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of males ages 15-24.
Analysis
In 2021, literacy rate, youth male in Pakistan stood at 79.5%.
The figure is down 0.3% on the previous year and up 1.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, youth male in Pakistan peaked at 81.3% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 44.5%, in 1981.
That places Pakistan 84th out of 95 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 male in Pakistan, year by year
| Year | % of males ages 15-24 | 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% |
Pakistan compared with similar countries
- Pakistan's 79.5% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 93.3%, 85% of the median. (33 countries reporting)
- Pakistan's 79.5% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 98.5%, 81% of the median. (15 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Literacy rate, youth male 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 | +50.9% | 44.5% | 67.2% |
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, youth male in Pakistan?
- Literacy rate, youth male in Pakistan was 79.5% in 2021, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, youth male recorded in Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 81.3% in 2017.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, youth male recorded in Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 44.5% in 1981.
- How does Pakistan rank for literacy rate, youth male?
- Pakistan ranks 84th out of 95 countries with data for 2021.
- Is literacy rate, youth male 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 Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Literacy rate, youth male (% of males 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.