Pakistan: Primary completion rate, total (% of relevant age group)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Pakistan's primary completion rate, total (% of relevant age group) rose 5.49 percentage points on 2023 (from 68.65% to 74.14%).

Across the 12 yearly changes before that (2006 to 2023), the average change was +0.71 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.54 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 3.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 5.49 percentage points in 2024 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.3 percentage points in 2011. 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 2024, Pakistan had the 82nd highest value of the 95 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 2024 ranking

• Tanzania — 79th of 95: 77.33%
• Luxembourg — 80th of 95: 76.54%
• Cameroon — 81st of 95: 75.29%
• Comoros — 83rd of 95: 72.72%
• Honduras — 84th of 95: 71.99%
• Solomon Islands — 85th of 95: 70.45%

What this measures

Primary completion rate, or gross intake ratio to the last grade of primary education, is the number of new entrants (enrollments minus repeaters) in the last grade of primary education, regardless of age, divided by the population at the entrance age for the last grade of primary education. Data limitations preclude adjusting for students who drop out during the final year of primary education.

Limitations: The data do not account for students who drop out during the final year of primary education. Therefore, this rate serves as a proxy and should be considered an upper estimate of the actual primary completion rate. There are many reasons why the primary completion rate can exceed 100 percent. The numerator may include late entrants and overage children who have repeated one or more grades of primary education as well as children who entered school early, while the denominator is the number of children at the entrance age for the last grade of primary education.

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

All 17 values

Primary completion rate, total (% of relevant age group) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — 90.31% (2023)
• Algeria — 98.24% (2025)
• Bahrain — 94.11% (2024)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 98.21% (2024)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 97.44% (2023)
• Israel — 96.97% (2024)
• Jordan — 97.05% (2024)
• Kuwait — 80.43% (2021)
• Lebanon — 67.27% (2023)

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 primary completion rate, total (% of relevant age group)?

74.14% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2005?

It is up 20.7 percentage points from 53.44% in 2005. The highest value was 74.14% in 2024 and the lowest 51.67% in 2009.

How does Pakistan rank?

82nd highest of 95 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in primary completion rate, total (% of relevant age group) unusual for Pakistan?

In 2024, Pakistan's primary completion rate, total (% of relevant age group) rose 5.49 percentage points on 2023 (from 68.65% to 74.14%). Across the 12 yearly changes before that (2006 to 2023), the average change was +0.71 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.54 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 3.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.PRM.CMPT.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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