Share of children who have completed primary school in Pakistan

Pakistan: Share of children who have completed primary school was 59.5% in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
59.5%
Change on year
up 1.4%
World rank
151st
of 165 countries
All-time high
59.5%
in 2025
All-time low
25.1%
in 1981
Years of data
45
1981–2025

Share of children who have completed primary school in Pakistan, 1981–2025

02040601981200320251981: 25.1 %1982: 25.7 %1983: 26.4 %1984: 27 %1985: 27.7 %1986: 28.4 %1987: 29 %1988: 29.7 %1989: 30.5 %1990: 31.4 %1991: 32.4 %1992: 33.4 %1993: 34.4 %1994: 35.3 %1995: 36.2 %1996: 37.1 %1997: 38 %1998: 38.7 %1999: 39.4 %2000: 40.2 %2001: 41 %2002: 41.7 %2003: 42.5 %2004: 43.1 %2005: 43.8 %2006: 44.5 %2007: 45.3 %2008: 46.2 %2009: 47.3 %2010: 48.1 %2011: 48.9 %2012: 49.5 %2013: 50.1 %2014: 50.8 %2015: 51.6 %2016: 52.2 %2017: 52.9 %2018: 53.7 %2019: 54.6 %2020: 55.4 %2021: 56.2 %2022: 57 %2023: 57.9 %2024: 58.7 %2025: 59.5 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2025, share of children who have completed primary school in Pakistan stood at 59.5%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.

That represents a change of up 1.4% on the previous year and up 15.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of children who have completed primary school in Pakistan peaked at 59.5% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 25.1%, in 1981.

That places Pakistan 151st out of 165 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 27.7% 25.1% 30.5% 9
1990s 35.6% 31.4% 39.4% 10
2000s 43.5% 40.2% 47.3% 10
2010s 51.2% 48.1% 54.6% 10
2020s 57.4% 55.4% 59.5% 6

Countries ranked near Pakistan

  1. 148 Ethiopia 64.6% compare
  2. 149 Guinea 61.0% compare
  3. 150 Burundi 60.5% compare
  4. 152 Malawi 57.7% compare
  5. 153 Afghanistan 55.4% compare
  6. 154 Madagascar 54.0% compare

See the full ranking of 165 places →

More education data for Pakistan

All data for Pakistan →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of children who have completed primary school in Pakistan?
Share of children who have completed primary school in Pakistan was 59.5% in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of children who have completed primary school recorded in Pakistan?
The highest recorded value was 59.5% in 2025.
What is the lowest share of children who have completed primary school recorded in Pakistan?
The lowest recorded value was 25.1% in 1981.
How does Pakistan rank for share of children who have completed primary school?
Pakistan ranks 151st out of 165 countries with data for 2025.
Is share of children who have completed primary school rising or falling in Pakistan?
Over the last ten years it is up 15.3%. 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 Share of children who have completed primary school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Share of children who have completed primary school
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
165 places, 7,390 data points, 1981–2025
Last refreshed

The share of children who are three to five years older than the official age for the last grade of primary education who have successfully completed it. This broader age band is used to include children who started school late or had to resit particular years.