Literacy rate, adult female in Pakistan
Pakistan: Literacy rate, adult female was 48.5% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, adult female in Pakistan, 1981–2021
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of females ages 15 and above.
Analysis
The most recent figure for literacy rate, adult female in Pakistan is 48.5%, measured in 2021. That is the highest value across all 16 years on record.
The figure is up 4.4% on the previous year and up 15.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, adult female in Pakistan peaked at 48.5% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 14.8%, in 1981.
Pakistan ranks 79th of 89 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 16 years of available data.
Literacy rate, adult female in Pakistan, year by year
| Year | % of females ages 15 and above | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 14.8% | — |
| 1998 | 29.0% | +96.6% |
| 2005 | 35.4% | +21.8% |
| 2006 | 39.6% | +12.0% |
| 2007 | 38.5% | -2.9% |
| 2008 | 40.1% | +4.2% |
| 2009 | 40.3% | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 41.0% | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 42.0% | +2.3% |
| 2012 | 43.1% | +2.6% |
| 2013 | 42.0% | -2.6% |
| 2014 | 44.3% | +5.5% |
| 2017 | 46.5% | +4.9% |
| 2018 | 45.4% | -2.3% |
| 2019 | 46.5% | +2.4% |
| 2021 | 48.5% | +4.4% |
Pakistan compared with similar countries
- Pakistan's 48.5% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 71.4%, 68% of the median. (30 countries reporting)
- Pakistan's 48.5% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 88.6%, 55% of the median. (16 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Literacy rate, adult female in Pakistan changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | +96.6% | 14.8% | 29.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 14.8% | 14.8% | 14.8% | 1 |
| 1990s | 29.0% | 29.0% | 29.0% | 1 |
| 2000s | 38.8% | 35.4% | 40.3% | 5 |
| 2010s | 43.8% | 41.0% | 46.5% | 8 |
| 2020s | 48.5% | 48.5% | 48.5% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Pakistan
More gender data for Pakistan
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 94,592 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth 0.6113 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 182,291 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 182,291 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 2.23 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 3.22 million (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 3.37 million (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 3.17 million (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 3.31 million (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 3.14 million (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, adult female in Pakistan?
- Literacy rate, adult female in Pakistan was 48.5% in 2021, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, adult female recorded in Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 48.5% in 2021.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, adult female recorded in Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.8% in 1981.
- How does Pakistan rank for literacy rate, adult female?
- Pakistan ranks 79th out of 89 countries with data for 2021.
- Is literacy rate, adult female rising or falling in Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Pakistan data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Literacy rate, adult female (% of females ages 15 and above). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 16 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Adult literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.