School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Pakistan
Pakistan: School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) was 4.2 years in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
4.2 years
Change on year
up 2.4%
World rank
190th
of 218 countries
All-time high
4.2 years
in 2024
All-time low
2.26 years
in 1971
Years of data
44
1971–2024
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Pakistan, 1971–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2024, school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Pakistan stood at 4.2 years. That is the highest value across all 44 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.4% on the previous year and up 16.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Pakistan peaked at 4.2 years in 2024 and was at its lowest, 2.26 years, in 1971.
That places Pakistan 190th out of 218 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.
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Pakistan, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 2.26 years | — |
| 1972 | 2.27 years | +0.3% |
| 1973 | 2.38 years | +5.2% |
| 1974 | 2.5 years | +5.0% |
| 1975 | 2.53 years | +1.0% |
| 1976 | 2.59 years | +2.3% |
| 1977 | 2.66 years | +2.8% |
| 1978 | 2.35 years | -11.8% |
| 1979 | 2.33 years | -0.6% |
| 1980 | 2.29 years | -1.6% |
| 1981 | 2.33 years | +1.5% |
| 1982 | 2.36 years | +1.4% |
| 1983 | 2.46 years | +4.1% |
| 1984 | 2.47 years | +0.3% |
| 1985 | 2.54 years | +2.8% |
| 1986 | 2.54 years | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 2.62 years | +3.2% |
| 1988 | 2.61 years | -0.3% |
| 1989 | 2.6 years | -0.5% |
| 1990 | 2.59 years | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 3.14 years | +21.0% |
| 2001 | 3.13 years | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 3.13 years | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 3.23 years | +2.9% |
| 2004 | 3.42 years | +6.1% |
| 2005 | 3.59 years | +4.8% |
| 2006 | 3.42 years | -4.6% |
| 2007 | 3.63 years | +6.2% |
| 2008 | 3.63 years | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 3.64 years | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 3.68 years | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 3.52 years | -4.3% |
| 2012 | 3.49 years | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 3.44 years | -1.5% |
| 2014 | 3.6 years | +4.6% |
| 2015 | 3.7 years | +2.8% |
| 2016 | 3.93 years | +6.1% |
| 2017 | 3.86 years | -1.7% |
| 2018 | 3.99 years | +3.4% |
| 2019 | 4.03 years | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 4.1 years | +1.6% |
| 2022 | 3.99 years | -2.6% |
| 2023 | 4.1 years | +2.8% |
| 2024 | 4.2 years | +2.4% |
Pakistan compared with similar countries
- Pakistan's 4.2 years is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 6.02 years, 70% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Pakistan's 4.2 years is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 5.82 years, 72% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.43 years | 2.26 years | 2.66 years | 9 |
| 1980s | 2.48 years | 2.29 years | 2.62 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.59 years | 2.59 years | 2.59 years | 1 |
| 2000s | 3.4 years | 3.13 years | 3.64 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.72 years | 3.44 years | 4.03 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.1 years | 3.99 years | 4.2 years | 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 school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Pakistan?
- School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Pakistan was 4.2 years in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 4.2 years in 2024.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.26 years in 1971.
- How does Pakistan rank for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes?
- Pakistan ranks 190th out of 218 countries with data for 2024.
- Is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes rising or falling in Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.6%. 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, published as part of School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release