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
Share of children who have completed primary school in Pakistan, 1981–2025
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.
Share of children who have completed primary school in Pakistan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 25.1% | — |
| 1982 | 25.7% | +2.5% |
| 1983 | 26.4% | +2.6% |
| 1984 | 27.0% | +2.4% |
| 1985 | 27.7% | +2.4% |
| 1986 | 28.4% | +2.5% |
| 1987 | 29.0% | +2.4% |
| 1988 | 29.7% | +2.3% |
| 1989 | 30.5% | +2.6% |
| 1990 | 31.4% | +2.9% |
| 1991 | 32.4% | +3.2% |
| 1992 | 33.4% | +3.2% |
| 1993 | 34.4% | +3.0% |
| 1994 | 35.3% | +2.8% |
| 1995 | 36.2% | +2.5% |
| 1996 | 37.1% | +2.4% |
| 1997 | 38.0% | +2.3% |
| 1998 | 38.7% | +1.9% |
| 1999 | 39.4% | +2.0% |
| 2000 | 40.2% | +1.9% |
| 2001 | 41.0% | +1.9% |
| 2002 | 41.7% | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 42.5% | +1.8% |
| 2004 | 43.1% | +1.6% |
| 2005 | 43.8% | +1.6% |
| 2006 | 44.5% | +1.6% |
| 2007 | 45.3% | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 46.2% | +2.1% |
| 2009 | 47.3% | +2.2% |
| 2010 | 48.1% | +1.7% |
| 2011 | 48.9% | +1.6% |
| 2012 | 49.5% | +1.2% |
| 2013 | 50.1% | +1.4% |
| 2014 | 50.8% | +1.3% |
| 2015 | 51.6% | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 52.2% | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 52.9% | +1.3% |
| 2018 | 53.7% | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 54.6% | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 55.4% | +1.6% |
| 2021 | 56.2% | +1.4% |
| 2022 | 57.0% | +1.4% |
| 2023 | 57.9% | +1.6% |
| 2024 | 58.7% | +1.3% |
| 2025 | 59.5% | +1.4% |
Pakistan compared with similar countries
- Pakistan's 59.5% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 86.1%, 69% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Pakistan's 59.5% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 96.6%, 62% of the median. (16 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
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 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
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.