Pakistan has the lowest literacy rate in South Asia, with 63% of its population aged 10 and above able to read and write, according to a new review by the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN).
Pakistan Literacy Rate Remains Low
The review, based on official survey data from the Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement-Household Integrated Economic Survey (PSLM–HEIS) 2024–2025, compares Pakistan’s performance with World Bank literacy figures for the region.
Literacy in Pakistan has increased from 60% in 2018-2019 to 63% in 2024-2025, representing a three percentage point rise over approximately six years. Analysts have described this pace of improvement as “alarmingly slow” given the country’s population of over 240 million.
Regionally, the Maldives leads with over 98% adult literacy, followed by Sri Lanka at 93%, India at 87%, and Bangladesh at 79%. Nepal has a literacy rate of 68%, Bhutan 65%, and the South Asian average is 78% – 15 percentage points higher than Pakistan.
- Male literacy in Pakistan stands at 73%, while female literacy is 54%.
- Punjab has the highest provincial literacy rate at 68%, while Sindh and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa both stand at 58%.
- Balochistan records the lowest literacy rate in the country, at 49%.
Youth literacy, encompassing ages 15 to 24, is reported at 77%, but overall adult literacy for those 15 and above is 60%, indicating ongoing educational gaps among older age groups.
FAFEN defines a “literate” person as someone aged 10 or above who can read and understand a simple statement and write a simple sentence. The organization also noted Article 25A of Pakistan’s Constitution, which guarantees free and compulsory education for children aged five to 16. Education became a provincial subject after the 18th Amendment, and Pakistan is committed to the United Nations’ education targets under the Sustainable Development Goals.
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