12 answers, 5 from Pakistan's own official bodies, with a link to each figure.
Pakistan's literacy rate for people aged 10 and over was 63% in 2024-25, up from 61% in 2022-23, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics household survey figures in the Pakistan Economic Survey 2025-26. Male literacy was 73% and female 54%; urban areas were at 74% and rural areas at 55%.
By province, Punjab had the highest rate (68%), followed by Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (58% each) and Balochistan (49%). Literacy is self-reported as the ability to read and write with understanding in any language, so it is not a test of reading skills. The 2023 census measured literacy too, and gives a slightly different figure.
28% of children aged 5 to 16 in Pakistan were out of school in 2024-25, down from 30% in 2018-19, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics household survey (HIES 2024-25) in the Pakistan Economic Survey 2025-26. The education chapter gives 25% for boys and 31% for girls, and 45% in Balochistan.
The share counts children of school age who are not enrolled. Estimates of the number of out-of-school children differ because they depend on the age range and on population estimates; the Pakistan Institute of Education publishes its own figures in Pakistan Education Statistics. Attendance can also differ from enrolment.
Pakistan has 278 universities, 163 public and 115 private, according to the Higher Education Commission figures in the Pakistan Economic Survey 2025-26. Universities employed 64,726 full-time faculty, of whom 24,366 (37.6%) held PhDs.
The count covers universities and degree-awarding institutes recognised by the Higher Education Commission. The survey's education statistics table, from the Pakistan Institute of Education, lists 239 universities for 2023-24 with enrolment of 1.96 million, because it uses an earlier count. Degree colleges, which teach bachelor's courses under universities, are counted separately (2,383 in 2024-25).
Pakistan had an estimated 154,964 primary schools, 43,931 middle schools and 48,710 high schools in 2024-25, according to Pakistan Institute of Education figures in the Pakistan Economic Survey 2025-26. Total enrolment across all levels, including universities, was an estimated 60.0 million.
The figures cover public and private institutions in mainstream education, including mosque schools and non-formal basic education in the primary count; religious madrassas are counted separately. The 2024-25 numbers are estimates projected from 2023-24 data, so they are revised when the next Pakistan Education Statistics report is published. Primary enrolment was an estimated 25.7 million.
Federal and provincial governments in Pakistan spent Rs962.0 billion on education in fiscal year 2024-25, equal to 0.8% of GDP, according to the Pakistan Economic Survey 2025-26. The Higher Education Commission had a revised development allocation of Rs34.905 billion for 147 university projects.
Education is mainly a provincial responsibility since 2010, so most spending is in provincial budgets. The figure is government spending only; families' spending on private schools, which teach a large share of pupils, is not included. Totals for recent years can be revised as final accounts come in, so compare shares of GDP rather than rupee totals.
The figures below use one definition for every country, so they can differ from national figures.
67.6%: that is net primary school enrolment in Pakistan for 2018, according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. It is the top of the series, which starts in 2005. Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan median: 94.1%; Pakistan is 10th highest of 11. Of 69 countries with 2018 data, 65th highest.
The latest figure from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, for 2024, is 48.3%. No year since 2005 has been higher. Across Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan the middle value was 95.1%, and Pakistan placed 12th highest of 13. World rank, highest first: 96th of 100.
According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, gross tertiary enrolment in Pakistan was 10.9% in 2024. Its high point since 2005 was 2021, at 12.4%; its low point was 2005, at 4.3%. It is 11th highest of 11 in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, where the median is 48.2%. World rank, highest first: 82nd of 90.
58.9%: that is the adult literacy rate in Pakistan for 2021, according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Its high point since 2005 was 2017, at 59.1%; its low point was 2005, at 49.9%. Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan median: 83.9%; Pakistan is 7th highest of 8. World rank, highest first: 37th of 43.
The UNESCO Institute for Statistics puts government spending on education in Pakistan at 1.9% of GDP in 2023. The peak was 2.7% of GDP in 2016 and the low 1.7% of GDP in 2005. It is 8th highest of 10 in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, where the median is 4.0% of GDP. Of 112 countries with 2023 data, 98th highest.
According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, the number of primary pupils per teacher in Pakistan was 44 in 2018. The peak was 48 in 2016 and the low 38 in 2005. Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan median: 19; Pakistan is 2nd highest of 13. Of 85 countries with 2018 data, 7th highest.
In 2024, the primary completion rate in Pakistan was 74.1%, according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. That is the highest since at least 2005. Across Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan the middle value was 97.0%, and Pakistan placed 10th highest of 11. Of 104 countries with 2024 data, 92nd highest.
Read on 14 October 2026. Definitions · Report an error