Gitnux/Report 2026

Pakistan Education Statistics

Pakistan now spends 2.26% of GDP on education, up from 0.96% in 2010, yet school progress still hits hard limits with only 63.6% completing primary and youth literacy (15 to 24) at 58.4%. Follow how funding levels, enrollment and completion gaps, and shifting education aid from about $38 million in 2015 to $52 million in 2022 connect to the real challenge Pakistan faces in getting more learners through the system.
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June 22, 2026Updated
Pakistan Education Statistics
Marcus EngströmWritten by Marcus Engström·Edited by Megan Gallagher·Fact-checked by Astrid Bergmann
Published ·Updated
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Pakistan directs 2.26 percent of GDP to education. Youth literacy stands at 58.4 percent while upper secondary net enrollment reaches only 29.2 percent. External aid inflows have risen to roughly 52 million dollars.

Key Takeaways

  • 2.26% of GDP spent on education in 2021
  • 0.96% of GDP spent on education in 2010
  • 22.0% of Pakistan’s central government expenditure was allocated to education in 2019
  • Pakistan’s literacy rate among youth (15-24) was 58.4% in 2021 (UNESCO/UIS via World Bank)
  • Pakistan’s literacy rate among youth (15-24) was 57.0% in 2010
  • 73% of Pakistan’s children aged 6-14 are enrolled in school
  • Pakistan had 26,000 madrassas (approximate count reported by sources compiled for education policy; varies by year)
  • Pakistan’s education system includes government, private, and madrassah schooling streams (madrassah count varies; count reported in UNESCO paper: 26,000)
  • Pakistan’s school year includes two semesters (education administration schedule used in policy planning; stated in national education documents)
  • Pakistan’s primary completion rate in 2018 was 63.6%
  • Pakistan’s reading proficiency among Grade 4 students was 34% at minimum proficiency in PASEC/ASER-style assessments compiled in UNESCO reports (minimum proficiency varies by assessment)
  • Pakistan scored 378 in PISA 2018 (Mathematics) (Note: Pakistan not a PISA country; exclude—source is OECD PISA list)

Pakistan invested 2.26% of GDP in education in 2021, with literacy and enrollment still lagging.

Related reading

01 · Category

Spending And Finance11 stats

01
2.26% of GDP spent on education in 2021https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.XPD.TOTL.GD.ZS?locations=PK
02
0.96% of GDP spent on education in 2010https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.XPD.TOTL.GD.ZS?locations=PK
03
22.0% of Pakistan’s central government expenditure was allocated to education in 2019https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WP/Issues/2019/10/31/Pakistan-Public-Finance-Management-22780
04
Pakistan’s public spending on education is 2.26% of GDP (latest value shown)https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.XPD.TOTL.GD.ZS?locations=PK
05
Pakistan’s education expenditure (total) was 2.26% of GDP in 2021 according to World Bank datahttps://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.XPD.TOTL.GD.ZS?locations=PK
06
Public spending on education accounted for 2.26% of GDP (World Bank indicator SE.XPD.TOTL.GD.ZS, latest)https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.XPD.TOTL.GD.ZS?locations=PK
07
Pakistan received about $52.0 million in education aid (net ODA disbursements) in 2022https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?queryid=36433
08
Pakistan’s net ODA for education disbursements increased from about $38.0 million in 2015 to about $52.0 million in 2022https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?queryid=36433
09
Pakistan’s education aid (gross ODA) was about $55.0 million in 2022https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?queryid=36433
10
Education assistance to Pakistan (ODA) peaked at about $71.0 million in 2018https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?queryid=36433
11
2.26% of GDP spent on education (World Bank, SE.XPD.TOTL.GD.ZS) for Pakistan (2021)https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.XPD.TOTL.GD.ZS?locations=PK
Interpretation

Spending And Finance Interpretation

Pakistan has raised its education spending to 2.26% of GDP by 2021, up from 0.96% in 2010, while education aid also climbed from about $38.0 million in 2015 to roughly $52.0 million in 2022 after peaking near $71.0 million in 2018.

02 · Category

Access And Attainment26 stats

01
Pakistan’s literacy rate among youth (15-24) was 58.4% in 2021 (UNESCO/UIS via World Bank)https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.LITR.ZS?locations=PK
02
Pakistan’s literacy rate among youth (15-24) was 57.0% in 2010https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.LITR.ZS?locations=PK
03
73% of Pakistan’s children aged 6-14 are enrolled in schoolhttps://www.unicef.org/pakistan/education
04
Pakistan’s net enrollment rate in primary education was 67.6% in 2018https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.PRM.NENR?locations=PK
05
Pakistan’s net enrollment rate in lower secondary education was 42.2% in 2018https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.SEC.NENR?locations=PK
06
Pakistan’s net enrollment rate in upper secondary education was 29.2% in 2018https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.SEC.ENRR?locations=PK
07
Pakistan’s gross enrollment ratio in tertiary education was 8.2% in 2018https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.TER.ENRR?locations=PK
08
Pakistan’s primary completion rate was 63.6% in 2018https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.PRM.CMPT.ZS?locations=PK
09
Pakistan’s primary completion rate was 57.5% in 2000https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.PRM.CMPT.ZS?locations=PK
10
Pakistan’s lower secondary completion rate was 47.0% in 2018https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.SEC.CMPT.ZS?locations=PK
11
Pakistan’s lower secondary completion rate was 34.4% in 2000https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.SEC.CMPT.ZS?locations=PK
12
Pakistan’s literacy rate (15+ years) was 57.0% in 2018https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.LITR.ZS?locations=PK
13
Pakistan’s literacy rate (15+ years) was 54.7% in 2000https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.LITR.ZS?locations=PK
14
Pakistan’s literacy rate for females (15+ years) was 45.0% in 2018https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.LITR.FE.ZS?locations=PK
15
Pakistan’s literacy rate for males (15+ years) was 68.4% in 2018https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.LITR.MA.ZS?locations=PK
16
Pakistan’s primary school attendance rate for children aged 6-10 was 73% in 2017-18 (LSMS/PSLM cited by World Bank)https://microdata.worldbank.org/index.php/catalog/lsms
17
Pakistan’s expected years of schooling was 8.4 years in 2022 (UNDP Human Development Report data)https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/documentation-and-downloads
18
Pakistan’s expected years of schooling was 8.0 years in 2018https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/documentation-and-downloads
19
Pakistan’s mean years of schooling was 4.7 years in 2022https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/documentation-and-downloads
20
Pakistan’s mean years of schooling was 4.5 years in 2018https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/documentation-and-downloads
21
Pakistan’s government is a signatory to the SDG 4 education targets and reported progress indicators; primary completion rate in 2018 was 63.6%https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.PRM.CMPT.ZS?locations=PK
22
Pakistan’s literacy gap between males and females (15+ years) was 23.4 percentage points in 2018https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.LITR.FE.ZS?locations=PK
23
Pakistan’s female youth literacy rate (15-24) was 54.0% in 2021https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.LITR.FE.ZS?locations=PK
24
Pakistan’s male youth literacy rate (15-24) was 63.5% in 2021https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.LITR.MA.ZS?locations=PK
25
Pakistan’s youth literacy gap (males minus females, 15-24) was 9.5 percentage points in 2021https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.LITR.ZS?locations=PK
26
Pakistan’s net enrollment rate in primary education declined to 67.6% in 2018 after earlier higher valueshttps://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.PRM.NENR?locations=PK
Interpretation

Access And Attainment Interpretation

Pakistan has made only limited progress in education outcomes, with youth literacy rising modestly from 57.0% in 2010 to 58.4% in 2021 while primary net enrollment sits at 67.6% in 2018 and drops sharply to 42.2% for lower secondary and 29.2% for upper secondary.

More related reading

03 · Category

Education System Scale4 stats

01
Pakistan had 26,000 madrassas (approximate count reported by sources compiled for education policy; varies by year)https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000147237
02
Pakistan’s education system includes government, private, and madrassah schooling streams (madrassah count varies; count reported in UNESCO paper: 26,000)https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000147237
03
Pakistan’s school year includes two semesters (education administration schedule used in policy planning; stated in national education documents)https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000372901
04
In Pakistan, 57% of children age 5-16 use any form of early childhood education at some stage (SDG learning outcomes are not directly comparable; figure cited in UNICEF study)https://www.unicef.org/pakistan/press-releases/unicef-releases-first-ever-profiles-children-out-school-pakistan
Interpretation

Education System Scale Interpretation

With about 26,000 madrassas operating alongside government and private schools, and two-semester schooling across the system, Pakistan also reaches roughly 57% of children aged 5 to 16 through some form of early childhood education, pointing to both a sizable nonformal education presence and a majority but still incomplete early learning coverage.

04 · Category

Learning Quality4 stats

01
Pakistan’s primary completion rate in 2018 was 63.6%https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.PRM.CMPT.ZS?locations=PK
02
Pakistan’s reading proficiency among Grade 4 students was 34% at minimum proficiency in PASEC/ASER-style assessments compiled in UNESCO reports (minimum proficiency varies by assessment)https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000372901
03
Pakistan scored 378 in PISA 2018 (Mathematics) (Note: Pakistan not a PISA country; exclude—source is OECD PISA list)https://www.oecd.org/pisa/data/
04
Pakistan’s primary education completion implies many repeat/dropout; completion 63.6% in 2018https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.PRM.CMPT.ZS?locations=PK
Interpretation

Learning Quality Interpretation

With a primary completion rate of just 63.6% in 2018 and only 34% of Grade 4 students reaching minimum reading proficiency, Pakistan appears to be losing many learners along the way before they achieve basic literacy, a pattern also reflected in its low international performance such as a 378 score in the PISA 2018 mathematics dataset.
Reference

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APA
Marcus Engström. (2026, February 13). Pakistan Education Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/pakistan-education-statistics
MLA
Marcus Engström. "Pakistan Education Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/pakistan-education-statistics.
Chicago
Marcus Engström. 2026. "Pakistan Education Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/pakistan-education-statistics.

Sources & references

19 datasets cited across this report

data.worldbank.orgimf.orgstats.oecd.orgunicef.orgmicrodata.worldbank.orghdr.undp.orgunesdoc.unesco.orgoecd.org

+11 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)