Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Pakistan

Pakistan: Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female was 35.7% in 2017. ▲ Rising

Latest (2017)
35.7%
Change on year
up 5.8%
World rank
76th
of 83 countries
All-time high
35.7%
in 2017
All-time low
11.6%
in 1981
Years of data
13
1981–2017

Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Pakistan, 1981–2017

1015202530351981199920171981: 11.6 %1998: 22.8 %2005: 27.3 %2006: 30.6 %2007: 29.9 %2008: 30.1 %2009: 30.3 %2010: 31 %2011: 31.9 %2012: 32.7 %2013: 31.7 %2014: 33.8 %2017: 35.7 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Pakistan is 35.7%, measured in 2017. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.

The figure is up 5.8% on the previous year and up 19.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Pakistan peaked at 35.7% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 11.6%, in 1981.

Pakistan ranks 76th of 83 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 11.6% 11.6% 11.6% 1
1990s 22.8% 22.8% 22.8% 1
2000s 29.7% 27.3% 30.6% 5
2010s 32.8% 31.0% 35.7% 6

Countries ranked near Pakistan

  1. 73 Nigeria 47.0% compare
  2. 74 Togo 45.3% compare
  3. 75 Mozambique 44.2% compare
  4. 77 Côte d'Ivoire 35.0% compare
  5. 78 Senegal 29.3% compare
  6. 79 Central African Republic 24.5% compare

See the full ranking of 122 places →

More reference data data for Pakistan

All data for Pakistan →

Frequently asked questions

What is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Pakistan?
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Pakistan was 35.7% in 2017, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female recorded in Pakistan?
The highest recorded value was 35.7% in 2017.
What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female recorded in Pakistan?
The lowest recorded value was 11.6% in 1981.
How does Pakistan rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female?
Pakistan ranks 76th out of 83 countries with data for 2017.
Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female rising or falling in Pakistan?
Over the last ten years it is up 19.4%. 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 Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Pakistan. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 20 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/literacy-rate-population-25-64-years-female-percent/pakistan/

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About this data

Indicator
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
122 places, 2,216 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Percentage of the female population between age 25 and age 64 who can, with understanding, read and write a short, simple statement on their everyday life. Generally, ‘literacy’ also encompasses ‘numeracy’, the ability to make simple arithmetic calculations. This indicator is calculated by dividing the number of female literates aged 25-64 years by the corresponding age group population and multiplying the result by 100.