Literacy levels among young people, adjusted gender parity index in Pakistan
Pakistan: Literacy levels among young people, adjusted gender parity index was 0.84 index in 2021. ▲ Rising
Literacy levels among young people, adjusted gender parity index in Pakistan, 1981–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in index.
Analysis
In 2021, literacy levels among young people, adjusted gender parity index in Pakistan stood at 0.84 index. That is the highest value across all 16 years on record.
The figure is up 2.4% on the previous year and up 3.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy levels among young people, adjusted gender parity index in Pakistan peaked at 0.84 index in 2021 and was at its lowest, 0.54 index, in 1981.
That places Pakistan 87th out of 96 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 levels among young people, adjusted gender parity index in Pakistan, year by year
| Year | index | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 0.54 index | — |
| 1998 | 0.64 index | +18.5% |
| 2005 | 0.69 index | +7.8% |
| 2006 | 0.74 index | +7.2% |
| 2007 | 0.75 index | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 0.77 index | +2.7% |
| 2009 | 0.78 index | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 0.78 index | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 0.81 index | +3.8% |
| 2012 | 0.8 index | -1.2% |
| 2013 | 0.8 index | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 0.82 index | +2.5% |
| 2017 | 0.83 index | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 0.81 index | -2.4% |
| 2019 | 0.82 index | +1.2% |
| 2021 | 0.84 index | +2.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.54 index | 0.54 index | 0.54 index | 1 |
| 1990s | 0.64 index | 0.64 index | 0.64 index | 1 |
| 2000s | 0.746 index | 0.69 index | 0.78 index | 5 |
| 2010s | 0.8087 index | 0.78 index | 0.83 index | 8 |
| 2020s | 0.84 index | 0.84 index | 0.84 index | 1 |
Countries ranked near Pakistan
- 84 Cameroon 0.87 index compare
- 84 Gambia 0.87 index compare
- 84 Sierra Leone 0.87 index compare
- 88 Mozambique 0.8348 index compare
- 89 Liberia 0.8332 index compare
- 90 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 0.78 index 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 levels among young people, adjusted gender parity index in Pakistan?
- Literacy levels among young people, adjusted gender parity index in Pakistan was 0.84 index in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literacy levels among young people, adjusted gender parity index recorded in Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 0.84 index in 2021.
- What is the lowest literacy levels among young people, adjusted gender parity index recorded in Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.54 index in 1981.
- How does Pakistan rank for literacy levels among young people, adjusted gender parity index?
- Pakistan ranks 87th out of 96 countries with data for 2021.
- Is literacy levels among young people, adjusted gender parity index rising or falling in Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.7%. 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 Literacy levels among young people, adjusted gender parity index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
An adjusted gender parity index of 1 indicates equal basic literacy rates among young men and women aged 15–24. Values below 1 favor young men, and above 1 favor young women.