Pakistan: School enrollment, primary, female (% gross)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Pakistan's school enrollment, primary, female (% gross) rose 6.97 percentage points on 2023 (from 75.47% to 82.44%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1982 to 2023), the average change was +0.94 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.9 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 3.2 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 6.97 percentage points in 2024 and the biggest yearly fall was 2.72 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.

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is upward, about 1.41 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 84% of the movement over 9 observed years.

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

A straight-line projection, tested first

Extending that straight line gives about 82.58% for 2027. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2022 to 2024 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 2.6%, against 3.84% for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.

See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.

How it compares

In 2024, Pakistan had the 109th highest value of the 119 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

• Puerto Rico (US) — 106th of 119: 88.38%
• Barbados — 107th of 119: 83.04%
• Micronesia, Fed. Sts. — 108th of 119: 82.57%
• Chad — 110th of 119: 81.83%
• Syrian Arab Republic — 111th of 119: 81.51%
• Ethiopia — 112th of 119: 81.41%

What this measures

Gross enrollment ratio is the ratio of total enrollment, regardless of age, to the population of the age group that officially corresponds to the level of education shown. Primary education provides children with basic reading, writing, and mathematics skills along with an elementary understanding of such subjects as history, geography, natural science, social science, art, and music.

Limitations: Enrollment indicators are based on annual school surveys, but do not necessarily reflect actual attendance or dropout rates during the year. Also, the length of education differs across countries and can influence enrollment rates, although the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) tries to minimize the difference. For example, a shorter duration for primary education tends to increase the rate; a longer one to decrease it (in part because older children are more at risk of dropping out). Moreover, age at enrollment may be inaccurately estimated or misstated, especially in communities where registration of births is not strictly enforced.

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

All 44 values

School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — 97.87% (2023)
• Algeria — 105.73% (2025)
• Bahrain — 97.42% (2024)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 96.7% (2024)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 102.05% (2023)
• Israel — 97.5% (2024)
• Jordan — 98.76% (2024)
• Kuwait — 88.67% (2021)
• Lebanon — 81.4% (2024)
• Malta — 97.66% (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, male (% gross) — 84.96% (2024)
• Primary education, teachers — 445,877 (2024)
• Primary education, teachers (% female)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Pakistan's school enrollment, primary, female (% gross)?

82.44% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1971?

It is up 57.67 percentage points from 24.77% in 1971. The highest value was 82.44% in 2024 and the lowest 24.77% in 1971.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.PRM.ENRR.FE, 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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