Islamabad: Pakistan has been ranked lowest in South Asia for literacy, with 63 per cent of people aged 10 years and above being able to read and write, according to a new review by the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN), local media reported.
The review is based on official survey data from the Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement-Household Integrated Economic Survey (PSLM–HEIS) 2024–2025 and compares Pakistan’s performance with World Bank literacy data for the region, a report in the Pakistani daily The Express Tribune said. It has revealed that literacy has increased from 60 per cent in 2018-2019 to 63 per cent in 2024-2025, a rise of three percentage points in around six years.
Analysts stated that the speed of improvement is “alarmingly slow” for a country which has a population of more than 240 million people. The FAFEN review also highlighted gender and provincial disparities. The data has revealed that male literacy stands at 73 per cent in comparison to 54 per cent for women.
According to the data, the literacy rate for Punjab stands at 68 per cent, while Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa both have a literacy rate of 58 per cent. Balochistan has the lowest literacy rate at 49 per cent.
Literacy rate for youth aged between 15-24 years stands at 77 per cent, but adult literacy for those aged 15 years and above is at 60 per cent, showcasing persistent gaps in education and skills among older age groups, The Express Tribune reported. According to FAFEN, the survey has considered an individual aged 10 years or above who can read and understand a simple statement and write a simple sentence as a “literate” person.
In January, a poll released by Gallup Pakistan revealed that Pakistan is struggling to afford food and education. A 20-year comparison of household consumption in Pakistan showcases a structural reallocation of funds towards fixing living costs instead of spending it on food, local media reported.
Data from the Household Integrated Economic Survey (HIES) revealed that the share of money spent by households on food reduced from 43 per cent to 37 per cent between 2005 and 2025.
During the same period, housing and utilities have increased from 15 per cent to a quarter of household budgets, according to an editorial in Pakistani daily The News International.
“Gallup analysis finds that, when viewed alongside weaker real incomes and evidence of declining food quantities, this trend likely reflects households cutting back on food consumption to cope with rising fixed expenses, like housing and utilities, rather than food becoming more affordable. This is also not the only analysis to find that Pakistanis are cutting back on food,” it said.
The HIES 2024-25 survey revealed that people facing moderate-to-severe food insecurity had increased from one in six to one in four between 2018-19 and 2024-25, making it harder for residents of Pakistan to survive in the present, and the prospects for future also do not look bright.
“According to the Institute of Social and Policy Science (I-SAP)’s 15th annual report on ‘Public Financing of Education’, families are now bearing the majority of spending on education; a first in the nation’s history. Of the Rs 5.03 trillion total cost of education, household spending accounts for Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 2.8 trillion while the public sector pitches in PKR 2.23 trillion,” the News International editorial said.
The household spending comprises Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 1.31 trillion spent on paying private school fees, PKR 613 billion on tuition and shadow education and PKR 878 billion in other expenses. The disparity comes amid people preferring the private education system for their children and major issues related to the adequacy of the public education system.
