Illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes in Pakistan

Pakistan: Illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes was 39.83 million number in 2017. β–² Rising

Latest (2017)
39.83 million number
Change on year
up 5.4%
World rank
2nd
of 83 countries
All-time high
39.83 million number
in 2017
All-time low
21.30 million number
in 1981
Years of data
13
1981–2017

Illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes in Pakistan, 1981–2017

010.0M20.0M30.0M40.0M1981199920171981: 21.3M number1998: 28.9M number2005: 32.0M number2006: 30.8M number2007: 32.4M number2008: 32.4M number2009: 33.4M number2010: 34.2M number2011: 35.7M number2012: 35.5M number2013: 37.5M number2014: 37.8M number2017: 39.8M number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

In 2017, illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes in Pakistan stood at 39.83 million number. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.

The figure is up 5.4% on the previous year and up 22.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes in Pakistan peaked at 39.83 million number in 2017 and was at its lowest, 21.30 million number, in 1981.

Pakistan ranks 2nd of 83 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 21.30 million number 21.30 million number 21.30 million number 1
1990s 28.93 million number 28.93 million number 28.93 million number 1
2000s 32.19 million number 30.79 million number 33.39 million number 5
2010s 36.74 million number 34.18 million number 39.83 million number 6

Countries ranked near Pakistan

  1. 1 India 186.67 million number compare
  2. 3 Nigeria 28.54 million number compare
  3. 4 Bangladesh 23.23 million number compare
  4. 5 Egypt 13.77 million number compare

See the full ranking of 122 places β†’

More reference data data for Pakistan

All data for Pakistan β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes in Pakistan?
Illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes in Pakistan was 39.83 million number in 2017, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes recorded in Pakistan?
The highest recorded value was 39.83 million number in 2017.
What is the lowest illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes recorded in Pakistan?
The lowest recorded value was 21.30 million number in 1981.
How does Pakistan rank for illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes?
Pakistan ranks 2nd out of 83 countries with data for 2017.
Is illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes rising or falling in Pakistan?
Over the last ten years it is up 22.7%. 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 Illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV Β· JSON β€” 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes in Pakistan. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 17 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/illiterate-population-25-64-years-both-sexes-number/pakistan/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/illiterate-population-25-64-years-both-sexes-number/pakistan/">Illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes in Pakistan</a> β€” Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Illiterate population, 25-64 years, both sexes (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
122 places, 2,239 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Total number of adults from age 25 to age 64 who cannot both read and write with understanding a short simple statement on their everyday life.