Literacy in Pakistan

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Literacy Rate in each Pakistani District as of the 2017 Pakistan Census Literacy Rate by Pakistani District - 2017 Census.svg
Literacy Rate in each Pakistani District as of the 2017 Pakistan Census

Literacy in Pakistan is a key for social-economic progress. The literacy rate in Pakistan has seen gradual improvement over the past few decades, but it remains a significant challenge. According to recent data, the overall literacy rate in Pakistan is estimated to be around 62-68%, [1] with notable gender disparities. The literacy rate for males at 68-73% is generally higher than that for females 52-60%, particularly in rural areas, where access to education is more limited. Several factors contribute to low literacy rates, including poverty, cultural barriers, inadequate infrastructure, and a lack of quality education in certain regions. Efforts to improve literacy have been made through various government and NGO initiatives, but achieving universal literacy remains a long-term goal. Enhancing educational opportunities, especially for girls, and addressing regional disparities are crucial steps toward improving Pakistan's literacy rate. [2]

Contents

Literacy rate by Census

The definition of literacy has been undergoing changes, with the result that the literacy figure has vacillated irregularly during the various censuses. A summary is as follows: [3]

Year of

census [3]

Total [3] Male [3] Female [3] Urban [4] Rural [4] Definition of

being "literate" [3]

Age

group [4]

1951 (West Pakistan)17.9% [5] 21.4% [5] 13.9% [5] N/AN/AOne who can read a clear

print in any language

All Ages
1961 (West Pakistan)16.9% [5] 26.1% [5] 6.7% [5] 34.8%10.6%One who is able to read with

understanding a simple letter in any language

Age 5 and above
197221.7%30.2%11.6%41.5%14.3%One who is able to read and

write in some language with understanding

Age 10 and Above
198126.2%35.1%16.0%47.1%17.3%One who can read newspaper

and write a simple letter

Age 10 and Above
199843.92%54.81%32.02%63.08%33.64%One who can read a newspaper

and write a simple letter, in any language

Age 10 and Above
202162.8%68%52.84%74.09%51.56%Age 10 and Above

Literacy rate by Province and Federally Administered Areas

ProvinceLiteracy rate [3]
19721981199820212023
Punjab 20.7%27.4%46.56%66.3%70.5%
Sindh 30.2%31.5%45.29%61.8%65.4%
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 15.5%16.7%35.41%55.1%59.05%
Balochistan 10.1%10.3%26.6%54.5%58.7%
Islamabad (ICT) ...47.8% [6] [7] 72.40% [6] ...96%
Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) ...25.7% [8] 55% [9] ...91.88% (2021) [10]
Gilgit-Baltistan ...3% [11] 37.85% [11] ......

Literacy rate by Districts

This section is an excerpt from List of districts of Pakistan by literacy rate § List.[ edit ]
District2023

[12] [13] [14] [15] [16]

2017199819811972
TotalMaleFemaleRuralUrbanTotalMaleFemaleRuralUrbanTotalMaleFemaleTotalMaleFemaleTotalMaleFemale
Muzaffarabad ...
Hattian Bala ...
Neelum ...
Mirpur ...
Bhimber ...
Kotli ...
Poonch ...
Bagh ...
Haveli ...
Sudhnati ...
Ghanche ...
Skardu ...
Roundu ...
Kharmang ...
Shigar ...
Astore ...
Diamer ...
Darel ...
Tangir ...
Ghizer ...
Gilgit ...
Hunza ...
Nagar ...
Gupis-Yasin District ...
Abbottabad 88.34%96.20%80.42%87.15%94.81%
Allai ...............
Bajaur 37.26%49.89%24.29%37.26%...
Bannu 52.75%68.47%35.84%52.14%90.40%
Battagram 50.09%64.69%35.34%50.09%...
Buner 54.75%70.61%39.40%54.75%...
Charsadda 64.94%76.55%52.36%64.73%70.07%
Central Dir District ...............
Dera Ismail Khan 57.58%68.14%45.71%52.01%79.80%
Hangu 54.15%76.04%34.02%51.73%70.70%
Haripur 85.88%94.13%77.61%85.31%95.39%
Karak 76.36%94.12%57.60%75.88%81.51%
Khyber 49.45%68.08%29.16%48.37%70.44%
Kohat 69.55%86.38%52.28%66.38%82.33%
Kolai Palas 29.80%34.24%25.14%29.80%...
Kurram 46.22%59.39%32.65%45.53%56.42%
Lakki Marwat 59.47%77.36%40.95%58.91%71.77%
Lower Chitral 77.10%86.81%66.77%75.64%87.17%
Lower Dir 68.36%82.57%55.16%67.92%81.35%
Lower Kohistan 33.05%43.32%22.32%33.05%...
Malakand ...............
Mansehra 74.79%85.33%64.02%74.17%90.12%
Mardan 66.79%78.31%54.66%66.19%73.59%
Mohmand 42.28%56.85%27.10%42.28%...
North Waziristan 43.82%56.94%30.03%43.65%74.44%
Nowshera 67.78%78.53%56.49%65.90%78.23%
Orakzai 44.57%60.70%26.97%44.57%...
Peshawar 64.28%74.91%53.09%59.20%71.82%
Shangla 44.74%58.82%29.82%44.74%...
Upper South Waziristan ...............
Lower South Waziristan ...............
Swabi 69.48%82.34%55.50%67.56%72.63%
Swat 59.13%71.83%45.95%55.55%68.72%
Tank 51.67%66.89%35.18%49.56%74.87%
Torghar 40.74%56.58%24.46%40.74%...
Upper Chitral 84.83%94.87%74.11%84.83%...
Upper Dir 57.77%72.76%43.67%57.04%71.92%
Upper Kohistan 30.05%37.46%22.28%30.05%...
Badin 47.65%56.46%38.00%43.52%63.67%
Dadu 58.13%65.26%50.70%51.84%77.69%
Ghotki 52.38%65.32%38.27%48.53%67.69%
Hyderabad 78.21%80.86%75.08%49.10%82.91%
Jacobabad 53.34%61.77%44.65%45.00%72.31%
Jamshoro 60.63%67.01%53.63%50.70%71.41%
Karachi Central 94.55%94.62%94.47%...94.55%
Karachi East 91.07%91.31%90.65%...91.07%
Karachi South 89.57%90.76%88.05%...89.57%
Karachi West 78.43%79.75%76.79%64.22%78.98%
Kashmore 46.59%55.08%37.72%40.58%64.97%
Keamari 73.07%76.86%68.51%...73.07%
Khairpur 61.14%71.84%50.10%56.68%70.78%
Korangi 90.86%91.27%90.29%...91.86%
Larkana 66.58%75.34%56.96%59.10%75.46%
Malir 74.14%77.74%69.84%68.48%80.26%
Matiari 56.88%66.34%47.12%52.61%72.03%
Mirpur Khas 56.37%65.04%46.75%46.81%78.82%
Naushahro Feroze 68.15%77.58%58.36%65.20%76.43%
Qambar Shahdadkot 51.02%58.94%42.35%47.65%60.85%
Sanghar 54.66%63.11%45.85%46.84%75.13%
Shaheed Benazirabad 61.86%71.07%52.29%55.87%74.91%
Shikarpur 54.70%62.59%46.65%47.13%79.36%
Sujawal 38.02%43.70%30.66%34.00%75.40%
Sukkur 69.26%78.10%59.20%57.24%80.55%
Tando Allahyar 50.80%57.82%43.48%44.39%64.90%
Tando Muhammad Khan 45.02%52.34%37.02%40.22%63.05%
Tharparkar 47.39%58.50%35.49%45.73%73.00%
Thatta ...............
Umerkot [17] 49.69%61.17%37.11%44.35%68.31%
Awaran 47.34%54.28%39.95%45.23%54.93%
Barkhan 44.62%51.63%36.93%43.63%67.93%
Chagai 44.15%51.90%35.57%42.97%67.88%
Chaman 50.97%57.73%42.60%47.18%61.36%
Dera Bugti 35.07%44.40%23.88%27.89%51.70%
Duki 55.18%63.91%45.43%55.01%73.51%
Gwadar 61.30%67.62%54.19%54.48%67.12%
Harnai 50.83%58.91%40.71%46.06%66.21%
Hub ...............
Jafarabad 46.53%54.43%38.37%40.68%59.84%
Jhal Magsi 41.14%47.89%34.09%39.15%60.50%
Kachhi 41.20%46.47%35.29%37.21%62.27%
Kalat 50.70%59.54%41.41%45.94%78.49%
Kech 60.65%65.23%55.46%55.77%70.22%
Kharan 52.07%61.78%40.36%48.21%61.18%
Khuzdar 49.59%54.91%43.42%40.76%63.74%
Kohlu 39.53%42.65%35.93%37.62%75.11%
Lasbela 47.47%55.86%38.48%39.03%55.94%
Loralai 54.16%64.27%42.81%48.93%74.54%
Mastung 56.97%67.26%45.27%54.46%78.28%
Musakhel 47.60%57.50%36.72%46.35%70.61%
Nasirabad 39.96%46.43%33.18%36.36%58.34%
Nushki 68.12%79.24%56.16%66.16%76.33%
Panjgur 53.07%55.80%49.80%52.81%46.43%
Pishin 62.07%75.85%48.05%60.94%66.10%
Quetta 67.29%75.06%58.96%59.10%72.95%
Qila Abdullah 47.40%57.28%36.70%48.59%46.72%
Qilla Saifullah 43.96%53.93%33.24%40.07%60.90%
Sherani 34.86%41.53%27.02%34.86%...
Sibi 58.41%65.72%50.63%48.61%78.33%
Sohbatpur 52.02%63.26%40.42%51.27%62.11%
Surab 48.44%54.16%40.58%47.97%57.40%
Washuk 32.58%36.76%27.76%32.86%30.65%
Zhob 47.62%55.24%38.81%43.33%80.18%
Ziarat 54.37%63.06%44.49%53.83%57.60%
Usta Muhammad ...............
Attock 81.22%89.69%72.66%79.22%88.18%
Bahawalnagar 68.01%73.55%60.95%63.51%80.84%
Bahawalpur 64.35%69.40%59.09%56.21%77.69%
Bhakkar 66.68%76.81%55.87%64.04%81.67%
Chakwal 88.79%96.12%81.52%86.92%90.43%
Chiniot 66.05%74.64%57.19%60.37%78.91%
Dera Ghazi Khan 57.78%66.17%49.20%52.56%75.05%
Faisalabad 84.41%87.34%81.11%78.02%91.03%
Gujranwala 87.77%88.14%87.36%84.84%89.35%
Gujrat 92.37%94.81%89.95%91.39%94.19%
Hafizabad 76.77%80.70%72.65%73.15%83.16%
Jhang 70.45%79.09%61.14%66.05%83.98%
Jhelum 91.65%96.55%86.53%90.27%94.41%
Kasur 73.85%77.97%69.44%72.27%78.60%
Khanewal 71.97%79.26%64.18%68.27%87.56%
Khushab 73.52%85.59%61.03%70.60%82.70%
Lahore 90.62%91.41%89.59%...90.62%
Layyah 72.83%80.91%64.21%70.67%85.13%
Lodhran 62.68%70.63%54.12%60.40%77.34%
Mandi Bahauddin 81.27%84.89%77.70%79.71%91.23%
Mianwali 73.87%87.58%59.63%72.44%82.18%
Multan 72.41%77.28%66.27%61.35%84.55%
Muzaffargarh 58.99%65.95%51.72%56.05%74.06%
Nankana Sahib 74.12%78.38%69.63%71.86%85.86%
Narowal 86.28%89.89%82.49%85.83%91.77%
Okara 71.25%76.52%65.71%65.88%82.36%
Pakpattan 68.13%74.70%60.27%65.00%81.12%
Rahim Yar Khan 58.94%65.14%52.15%52.22%80.70%
Rajanpur 47.09%53.68%40.18%39.39%67.42%
Rawalpindi 94.22%97.90%90.36%92.66%94.41%
Sahiwal 75.77%81.06%70.29%71.69%88.60%
Sargodha 77.73%73.63%71.62%72.61%86.82%
Sheikhupura 79.88%82.09%77.46%77.24%84.65%
Sialkot 89.37%90.24%88.50%87.94%93.31%
Toba Tek Singh 82.38%86.37%78.13%80.30%91.82%
Vehari 70.10%76.43%63.57%65.73%83.61%
Talagang ...............
Murree ...............
Tonsa ...............
Kot Addu ...............
Wazirabad ...............
Islamabad Capital Territory 94.97%98.23%91.13%92.88%94.91%

Mean Years of Schooling in Pakistan by administrative unit

Unit [18] 19901995200020052010201220152018
Azad Jammu & Kashmir 3.784.59 Increase2.svg5.42 Increase2.svg7.47 Increase2.svg7.22 Decrease2.svg7.35 Decrease2.svg6.92 Decrease2.svg6.51 Decrease2.svg
Balochistan 1.772.15 Increase2.svg2.53 Increase2.svg3.49 Increase2.svg3.25 Decrease2.svg3.14 Decrease2.svg3.17 Decrease2.svg3.10 Decrease2.svg
FATA 1.421.73 Increase2.svg2.04 Increase2.svg2.81 Increase2.svg2.71 Decrease2.svg2.69 Decrease2.svg2.60 Decrease2.svg2.45 Decrease2.svg
Gilgit-Baltistan 2.012.44 Increase2.svg2.88 Increase2.svg3.97 Increase2.svg3.84 Decrease2.svg3.80 Decrease2.svg4.59 Increase2.svg5.17 Increase2.svg
Islamabad (ICT) 4.165.05 Increase2.svg5.96 Increase2.svg8.21 Increase2.svg9.67 Increase2.svg10.70 Increase2.svg9.62 Decrease2.svg8.34 Decrease2.svg
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 1.832.22 Increase2.svg2.62 Increase2.svg3.62 Increase2.svg3.80 Increase2.svg3.97 Increase2.svg3.95 Decrease2.svg3.82 Decrease2.svg
Punjab 1.962.38 Increase2.svg2.81 Increase2.svg3.88 Increase2.svg4.44 Increase2.svg4.85 Increase2.svg5.23 Increase2.svg5.41 Increase2.svg
Sindh 2.432.95 Increase2.svg3.48 Increase2.svg4.79 Increase2.svg5.19 Increase2.svg5.51 Increase2.svg5.35 Decrease2.svg5.05 Decrease2.svg
Pakistan 2.282.77Increase2.svg3.27Increase2.svg4.51Increase2.svg4.68Increase2.svg4.85Increase2.svg5.09Increase2.svg5.16Increase2.svg

Literacy rates and development

Pakistan literacy rate is lower than other neighbours of it in South Asia at 62.8 percent, the second lowest in South Asia after Afghanistan which has a literacy rate of 37%. The male literacy rate is 73 percent and the female literacy rate is 52.84 percent. The female literacy rate drops to twenty-five percent in rural areas of Pakistan including Waziristan and Tharparkar. Girls' school enrollment also significantly drops in the rural areas of Pakistan. The enrollment rate for girls in rural areas is only twenty percent in grade school. Sixty-five percent of Pakistan's population is made up of rural citizens. Citizens in Pakistan face issues that affect their quality of life. Issues such as illiteracy are linked to poverty and lack of basic needs.

Parents with lower literacy skills struggle to understand health recommendations that can affect the development of their children. Malnutrition is a problem for children of parents who do not have a formal education status. Uneducated parents may not know the necessary proper nutrition needed for their children to adequately grow and develop. Malnutrition is associated with mothers who are illiterate and unaware of correct feeding practices. [19] There are several factors that contribute to the low education levels in Pakistan. Among the primary catalysts are unemployment, poverty, lack of awareness, teachers' absenteeism, a scarcity of quality educational institutions, and insufficient government oversight of educational institutions. [20]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "LITERACY RATE, ENROLMENT AND OUT OF SCHOOL POPULATION BY SEX AND RURAL/URBAN, CENSUS-2023, PAKISTAN" (PDF).
  2. ↑ "Adult Literacy".
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Choudhry, Munir Ahmed (2005). Pakistan: where and who are the world's illiterates? (Report).
  4. 1 2 3 "Literacy trends in Pakistan; 2004" (PDF). Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Copy of Statistical Profile2.cdr" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 November 2014. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  6. 1 2 "Pakistan". CENSUS. Archived from the original on 24 May 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
  7. ↑ Husain, Fazal; Qasim, Muhammad Ali (2005). "Inequality in the Literacy Levels in Pakistan: Existence and Changes Overtime" . South Asia Economic Journal. 6 (2): 251–264. doi:10.1177/139156140500600206.
  8. ↑ "AJK literacy rate 1981 census – Google Search". 1988. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  9. ↑ Human Rights Watch: "With Friends Like These..." – Human Rights Watch – Google Books . Retrieved 10 December 2013.
  10. ↑ Dr Pervez Tahir. "Education spending in AJK". The Express Tribune.
  11. 1 2 "DAWN.COM | Education | Education in Gilgit and Baltistan". 26 June 2010. Archived from the original on 26 June 2010.
  12. ↑ "TABLE 12 : LITERACY RATE, ENROLMENT AND OUT OF SCHOOL POPULATION BY SEX AND RURAL/URBAN, CENSUS-2023, KPK" (PDF).
  13. ↑ "TABLE 12 : LITERACY RATE, ENROLMENT AND OUT OF SCHOOL POPULATION BY SEX AND RURAL/URBAN, CENSUS-2023, SINDH" (PDF).
  14. ↑ "TABLE 12 : LITERACY RATE, ENROLMENT AND OUT OF SCHOOL POPULATION BY SEX AND RURAL/URBAN, CENSUS-2023, ISLAMABAD" (PDF).
  15. ↑ "TABLE 12 : LITERACY RATE, ENROLMENT AND OUT OF SCHOOL POPULATION BY SEX AND RURAL/URBAN, CENSUS-2023, BALOCHISTAN" (PDF).
  16. ↑ "TABLE 12 : LITERACY RATE, ENROLMENT AND OUT OF SCHOOL POPULATION BY SEX AND RURAL/URBAN, CENSUS-2023, PUNJAB" (PDF).
  17. ↑ "Historically & Geographically". District Government Umerkot. Archived from the original on 24 February 2012. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
  18. ↑ "Mean years schooling – Global Data Lab". globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  19. ↑ Khattak, Umme K; Iqbal, Saima P; Ghazanfar, Haider (5 June 2017). "The Role of Parents' Literacy in Malnutrition of Children Under the Age of Five Years in a Semi-Urban Community of Pakistan: A Case-Control Study". Cureus. 9 (6) e1316. doi: 10.7759/cureus.1316 . PMC   5498125 . PMID   28690950.
  20. ↑ "Literacy rate in Pakistan". The Nation. 2018-02-07. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
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