Share of the population with at least some formal education in Pakistan
Pakistan: Share of the population with at least some formal education was 68.6% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Share of the population with at least some formal education in Pakistan, 1870–2020
Source: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of the population with at least some formal education in Pakistan stood at 68.6%. That is the highest value across all 31 years on record.
That represents a change of up 22.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population with at least some formal education in Pakistan peaked at 68.6% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 1870.
That places Pakistan 100th out of 111 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of the population with at least some formal education in Pakistan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 0.1% | — |
| 1875 | 0.1% | +0.0% |
| 1880 | 0.1% | +0.0% |
| 1885 | 0.1% | +0.0% |
| 1890 | 0.2% | +100.0% |
| 1895 | 0.2% | +0.0% |
| 1900 | 0.3% | +50.0% |
| 1905 | 2.4% | +700.0% |
| 1910 | 4.4% | +83.3% |
| 1915 | 6.0% | +36.4% |
| 1920 | 9.8% | +63.3% |
| 1925 | 10.9% | +11.2% |
| 1930 | 12.0% | +10.1% |
| 1935 | 12.9% | +7.5% |
| 1940 | 13.8% | +7.0% |
| 1945 | 14.7% | +6.5% |
| 1950 | 14.8% | +0.7% |
| 1955 | 15.3% | +3.4% |
| 1960 | 17.4% | +13.7% |
| 1965 | 19.7% | +13.2% |
| 1970 | 20.8% | +5.6% |
| 1975 | 24.5% | +17.8% |
| 1980 | 26.6% | +8.6% |
| 1985 | 30.9% | +16.2% |
| 1990 | 35.2% | +13.9% |
| 1995 | 38.0% | +8.0% |
| 2000 | 41.5% | +9.2% |
| 2005 | 56.3% | +35.7% |
| 2010 | 56.1% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 62.5% | +11.4% |
| 2020 | 68.6% | +9.8% |
Pakistan compared with similar countries
- Pakistan's 68.6% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 85.2%, 81% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Pakistan's 68.6% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 88.2%, 78% of the median. (14 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of the population with at least some formal education 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1905 | +700.0% | 0.3% | 2.4% |
| 1890 | +100.0% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| 1910 | +83.3% | 2.4% | 4.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 1880s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 1890s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 2 |
| 1900s | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2.4% | 2 |
| 1910s | 5.2% | 4.4% | 6.0% | 2 |
| 1920s | 10.4% | 9.8% | 10.9% | 2 |
| 1930s | 12.4% | 12.0% | 12.9% | 2 |
| 1940s | 14.2% | 13.8% | 14.7% | 2 |
| 1950s | 15.1% | 14.8% | 15.3% | 2 |
| 1960s | 18.5% | 17.4% | 19.7% | 2 |
| 1970s | 22.6% | 20.8% | 24.5% | 2 |
| 1980s | 28.8% | 26.6% | 30.9% | 2 |
| 1990s | 36.6% | 35.2% | 38.0% | 2 |
| 2000s | 48.9% | 41.5% | 56.3% | 2 |
| 2010s | 59.3% | 56.1% | 62.5% | 2 |
| 2020s | 68.6% | 68.6% | 68.6% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Pakistan
- 97 Morocco 71.8% compare
- 98 Cote d'Ivoire 70.7% compare
- 99 Democratic Republic of Congo 69.3% compare
- 101 Afghanistan 66.1% compare
- 102 Sierra Leone 64.9% compare
- 103 Liberia 64.0% 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 share of the population with at least some formal education in Pakistan?
- Share of the population with at least some formal education in Pakistan was 68.6% in 2020, according to Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population with at least some formal education recorded in Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 68.6% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of the population with at least some formal education recorded in Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 1870.
- How does Pakistan rank for share of the population with at least some formal education?
- Pakistan ranks 100th out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of the population with at least some formal education rising or falling in Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 22.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Pakistan data come from?
- The figures come from Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population with at least some formal education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Based on the population aged 15 years and older.