Pakistan: Educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary, population 25+, female (%) (cumulative)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2018, Pakistan's educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary, population 25+, female (%) (cumulative) fell 1.93 percentage points on 2017 (from 21.41% to 19.48%).

Across the 12 yearly changes before that (2006 to 2017), the average change was +0.84 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.14 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 4.45 percentage points in 2012 and the biggest yearly fall was 2.52 percentage points in 2015. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2009 to 2018 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.67 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 61% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

Closest to Pakistan in the 2018 ranking

• Kuwait — 1st of 2: 39.28%

What this measures

The percentage of population ages 25 and over that attained or completed upper secondary education.

Limitations: Caution is required when using this indicator for cross-country comparison, since the countries do not always classify degrees and qualifications at the same International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) levels, even if they are received at roughly the same age or after a similar number of years of schooling. Also, certain educational programmes and study courses cannot be easily classified according to ISCED. This indicator only measures educational attainment in terms of level of education attained, i.e. years of schooling, and does not necessarily reveal the quality of the education (learning achievement and other impacts).

All 15 values

Educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary, population 25+, female (%) (cumulative) in nearby economies

• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 50.79% (2023)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 43.22% (2023)
• Israel — 85.37% (2023)
• Kuwait — 39.28% (2018)
• Malta — 54.84% (2021)
• Qatar — 75.24% (2022)
• Saudi Arabia — 73.57% (2024)

More education data for Pakistan

• Primary school starting age (years) — 5 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 5 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 10 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 7 (2025)
• Government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) — 1.95% (2023)
• Primary education, pupils — 25.38 million (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 83.73% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 82.44% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, male (% gross) — 84.96% (2024)
• Primary education, teachers

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Pakistan's educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary, population 25+, female (%) (cumulative)?

19.48% in 2018, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1972?

It is up 16.88 percentage points from 2.6% in 1972. The highest value was 21.41% in 2017 and the lowest 2.6% in 1972.

Is the latest change in educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary, population 25+, female (%) (cumulative) unusual for Pakistan?

In 2018, Pakistan's educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary, population 25+, female (%) (cumulative) fell 1.93 percentage points on 2017 (from 21.41% to 19.48%). Across the 12 yearly changes before that (2006 to 2017), the average change was +0.84 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.14 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.SEC.CUAT.UP.FE.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources, note: The data are obtained through the UIS API. Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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