Pakistan: Labor force with basic education (% of total working-age population with basic education)

Key figures

What the numbers say

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 6.88 percentage points in 2012 and the biggest yearly fall was 6.77 percentage points in 2013. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

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

How it compares

In 2025, Pakistan had the 3rd highest value of the 17 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Pakistan in the 2025 ranking

• Peru — 1st of 17: 63.85%
• Dominican Republic — 2nd of 17: 62.13%
• Ecuador — 4th of 17: 58.07%
• United Kingdom — 5th of 17: 56.53%
• Honduras — 6th of 17: 56.05%

What this measures

The ratio of the labor force with basic education to the working-age population with basic education. Basic education comprises primary education or lower secondary education according to the International Standard Classification of Education 2011 (ISCED 2011).

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 17 values

Labor force with basic education (% of total working-age population with basic education) in nearby economies

• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 34.45% (2024)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 37.7% (2024)
• Israel — 28.82% (2024)
• Malta — 53.46% (2024)
• Tunisia — 50.52% (2023)
• West Bank and Gaza — 44.13% (2025)

More social protection & labor data for Pakistan

• Net migration — -1.24 million (2025)
• Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (national estimate) — 6.96% (2025)
• Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum — 1.16 million (2025)
• Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15+) (national estimate) — 28.21% (2025)
• Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) (national estimate) — 34.63% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) (national estimate) — 81.46% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) (national estimate) — 55.34% (2025)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Pakistan's labor force with basic education (% of total working-age population with basic education)?

58.26% in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2005?

It is up 8.44 percentage points from 49.81% in 2005. The highest value was 59.65% in 2012 and the lowest 49.07% in 2016.

How does Pakistan rank?

3rd highest of 17 economies with data for 2025.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Education and Mismatch Indicators database (EMI), International Labour Organization (ILO), uri: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/bulk/, publisher: ILOSTAT, type: external database, date accessed: March 30, 2026.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SL.TLF.BASC.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Education and Mismatch Indicators database (EMI), International Labour Organization (ILO), uri: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/bulk/, publisher: ILOSTAT, type: external database, date accessed: March 30, 2026 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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