Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Pakistan
Pakistan: Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates was 83.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Pakistan, 1971–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Pakistan is 83.7%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 44 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.9% on the previous year and up 16.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Pakistan peaked at 83.7% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 45.2%, in 1971.
That places Pakistan 199th out of 217 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 44 years of available data.
Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Pakistan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 45.2% | — |
| 1972 | 45.3% | +0.3% |
| 1973 | 47.7% | +5.2% |
| 1974 | 50.1% | +5.0% |
| 1975 | 50.6% | +1.0% |
| 1976 | 51.7% | +2.3% |
| 1977 | 53.2% | +2.8% |
| 1978 | 46.9% | -11.8% |
| 1979 | 46.6% | -0.6% |
| 1980 | 45.9% | -1.6% |
| 1981 | 46.6% | +1.5% |
| 1982 | 47.3% | +1.4% |
| 1983 | 49.2% | +4.1% |
| 1984 | 49.3% | +0.3% |
| 1985 | 50.8% | +2.8% |
| 1986 | 50.8% | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 52.4% | +3.2% |
| 1988 | 52.2% | -0.3% |
| 1989 | 52.0% | -0.5% |
| 1990 | 51.9% | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 62.8% | +21.0% |
| 2001 | 62.6% | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 62.9% | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 64.7% | +2.9% |
| 2004 | 68.6% | +6.0% |
| 2005 | 72.0% | +4.9% |
| 2006 | 68.5% | -4.8% |
| 2007 | 72.8% | +6.2% |
| 2008 | 72.6% | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 72.9% | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 73.6% | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 70.4% | -4.3% |
| 2012 | 69.9% | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 68.9% | -1.5% |
| 2014 | 72.2% | +4.8% |
| 2015 | 71.7% | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 75.7% | +5.6% |
| 2017 | 74.5% | -1.6% |
| 2018 | 77.4% | +3.9% |
| 2019 | 78.7% | +1.7% |
| 2021 | 80.3% | +2.1% |
| 2022 | 78.9% | -1.7% |
| 2023 | 81.4% | +3.1% |
| 2024 | 83.7% | +2.9% |
Pakistan compared with similar countries
- Pakistan's 83.7% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 102.7%, 82% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Pakistan's 83.7% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 97.6%, 86% of the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 48.6% | 45.2% | 53.2% | 9 |
| 1980s | 49.6% | 45.9% | 52.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 51.9% | 51.9% | 51.9% | 1 |
| 2000s | 68.1% | 62.6% | 72.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 73.3% | 68.9% | 78.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 81.1% | 78.9% | 83.7% | 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 primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Pakistan?
- Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Pakistan was 83.7% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates recorded in Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 83.7% in 2024.
- What is the lowest primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates recorded in Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 45.2% in 1971.
- How does Pakistan rank for primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates?
- Pakistan ranks 199th out of 217 countries with data for 2024.
- Is primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates rising or falling in Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.0%. 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 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Number of children of any age group who are enrolled in primary education, expressed as a percentage of the total population of the official primary school age.