Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Pakistan
Pakistan: Share of children in primary school age who are in school was 82.1% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Pakistan, 1820–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Pakistan recorded 82.1% for share of children in primary school age who are in school in 2024. That is the highest value across all 37 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 13.6% on the previous year and up 17.6% over five years.
Over the whole period, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Pakistan peaked at 82.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1820.
Pakistan ranks 178th of 209 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Pakistan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 0.0% | — |
| 1825 | 0.0% | +100.0% |
| 1830 | 0.0% | +0.0% |
| 1835 | 0.0% | +50.0% |
| 1840 | 0.0% | +33.3% |
| 1845 | 0.1% | +25.0% |
| 1850 | 0.1% | +20.0% |
| 1855 | 0.1% | +33.3% |
| 1860 | 0.1% | +25.0% |
| 1865 | 0.1% | +30.0% |
| 1870 | 0.2% | +38.5% |
| 1875 | 0.2% | +27.8% |
| 1880 | 0.3% | +30.4% |
| 1885 | 0.4% | +30.0% |
| 1890 | 0.5% | +30.8% |
| 1895 | 0.7% | +29.4% |
| 1900 | 0.9% | +30.3% |
| 1905 | 1.1% | +31.4% |
| 1910 | 1.5% | +29.2% |
| 1915 | 1.9% | +30.1% |
| 1920 | 2.5% | +30.0% |
| 1925 | 3.2% | +29.6% |
| 1930 | 4.1% | +29.4% |
| 1935 | 5.3% | +29.2% |
| 1940 | 6.9% | +28.4% |
| 1945 | 8.8% | +27.9% |
| 1950 | 21.8% | +148.0% |
| 1955 | 27.2% | +24.8% |
| 1960 | 22.0% | -19.1% |
| 1965 | 33.0% | +50.0% |
| 1970 | 33.0% | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 38.0% | +15.0% |
| 1980 | 35.5% | -6.5% |
| 2021 | 69.8% | +96.7% |
| 2022 | 71.5% | +2.4% |
| 2023 | 72.3% | +1.1% |
| 2024 | 82.1% | +13.6% |
Pakistan compared with similar countries
- Pakistan's 82.1% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 93.7%, 88% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Pakistan's 82.1% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 95.4%, 86% of the median. (22 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of children in primary school age who are in school 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | +148.0% | 8.8% | 21.8% |
| 1825 | +100.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2021 | +96.7% | 35.5% | 69.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1830s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1840s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 1850s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 1860s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 1870s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 2 |
| 1880s | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.4% | 2 |
| 1890s | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.7% | 2 |
| 1900s | 1.0% | 0.9% | 1.1% | 2 |
| 1910s | 1.7% | 1.5% | 1.9% | 2 |
| 1920s | 2.8% | 2.5% | 3.2% | 2 |
| 1930s | 4.7% | 4.1% | 5.3% | 2 |
| 1940s | 7.8% | 6.9% | 8.8% | 2 |
| 1950s | 24.5% | 21.8% | 27.2% | 2 |
| 1960s | 27.5% | 22.0% | 33.0% | 2 |
| 1970s | 35.5% | 33.0% | 38.0% | 2 |
| 1980s | 35.5% | 35.5% | 35.5% | 1 |
| 2020s | 73.9% | 69.8% | 82.1% | 4 |
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 share of children in primary school age who are in school in Pakistan?
- Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Pakistan was 82.1% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 82.1% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1820.
- How does Pakistan rank for share of children in primary school age who are in school?
- Pakistan ranks 178th out of 209 countries with data for 2024.
- Where does this Pakistan data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children in primary school age who are in school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 37 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of children of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.