Pakistan’s national literacy rate has reached 60.65%, according to the latest Population and Housing Census 2023, marking the first official update in literacy statistics since the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) halted its Social and Living Standards Measurement (PSLM) Survey after 2019-20 and Labour Force Survey after 2020-21. According to economic survey 2024-25 released on Monday, the census reveals a significant gender gap: male literacy stands at 68%, while only 52.84% of females are literate. For the first time, literacy data for the transgender population has been included, recorded at 40.15%. However, urban areas continue to outperform rural regions in literacy, with a rate of 74.09% compared to just 51.56% in rural areas. The urban-rural divide is particularly stark among females, highlighting persistent inequality in access to education. Punjab leads among provinces in literacy, followed by Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan. Due to the unavailability of updated PSLM data, figures for enrolment are still based on 2019-20 data. The Gross Enrolment Rate (GER) at primary, middle, and matric levels is 84%, 63%, and 57%, respectively, with males consistently recording higher GER across all provinces. Punjab continues to lead in GER across all education levels, while Balochistan lags behind. The Net Enrolment Rate (NER) stands at 64% for primary, 37% for middle, and 27% for matric education. At the middle and matric levels, Punjab is the only province where NER for females surpasses that of males. A staggering 38% of Pakistani children remain out of school, with the problem most acute in Balochistan (69%), followed by Sindh (47%), Punjab (32%), and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (30%). Across all provinces, more girls are out of school than boys.
Literacy rate reaches 60.65%; gender, urban-rural divides persist
Published on: June 10, 2025 2:48 AM