Pakistan Bureau of Statistics
NATIONAL CENSUS REPORT 143
Province wise Analysis of Population with Functional Limitation Figure 4.10 shows the high percentage of functional limitations in male in all provinces of Pakistan. The Punjab has 10.61% population with functional limitations which is high among all provinces followed by Sindh (9.24%) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (8.38%) and Balochistan (6.40%).
Figure 4.10: Functional Limitation by Provinces Census 2023 4.5.2 Population with Functional Limitation by categories According to the Census -2023, a segment of population of Pakistan faces functional limitations that affect daily activities. A total of 3.12% population have trouble in walking or climbing, 1.99% population have hearing impairments , while 1.79% experience visual impairments. Additionally, 1.47% struggle with memory or concentration, 1.09% face self- care difficulties, and 1.07% have communication challenges.
In Table 4.19, it is evident that 7,493,240 individuals face difficulty in walking or climbing, making it one of the most commonly reported challenges in performing daily functions. Across all categories, males report higher functional limitations than females. For instance, 3.24% of males have difficulty walking or climbing compared to 2.99% of females. Similar patterns are observed in other categories, highlighting the need for inclusive policies and enhanced accessibility measures. 1.79% 1.99% 3.12% 1.07% 1.47% 1.09%
Seeing Hearing Walking/ Communication Memorization / Self-care Climbing Focus
9.64 8.38 10.61 9.24 6.40 8.12 9.88 8.58 10.94 9.39 6.44 8.70 9.37 8.17 10.26 9.07 6.35 7.46 PAKISTAN KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA PUNJAB SINDH BALOCHISTAN ISLAMABAD Total Male Female Pakistan Bureau of Statistics
NATIONAL CENSUS REPORT 144
Table 4.19: Population and Percentage Distribution of Functional Limitation With Categories by Sex and Rural/Urban, Census-2023 (*Note: Sum of percentage of all categories is not equal to 100% as it is possible that an individual can face more than one difficulty in performing his/her daily functions.)
4.6 Education 4.6.1 Literacy Literacy is an important indicator of education and it has significant impact on development and socio-economic growth of the country. It is fundamental to development as it drives economic growth, improves health, enhances educational opportunities, and fosters a more engaged and equitable society.
A person who can read and write with understanding in any language make simple
calculation is treated as literate. The literacy rate, according to Census-2023, is recorded as
60.65% for population 10 years and above as compared to 58.92% in Census-2017 as shown
in Table 4.20. This rate is higher for males 68.00% than for females 52.84% and for transgender
40.15%. The literacy rate of 74.09% in urban areas is much higher than that of rural areas which
is 51.56%.
Table 4.20: Literacy rate by Sex and Rural/Urban : Census Year 2017 and 2023
Area
2017
2023
All
Sexes
Male
Female
Trans
gender
All Sexes
Male
Female
Trans
gender
All Areas
58.92
67.79
49.69
38.76
60.65
68.00
52.84
40.15
Rural
50.06
61.32
38.57
30.51
51.56
61.02
41.67
32.94
Urban
73.22
77.97
68.13
45.48
74.09
78.13
69.71
42.40
Total
Literates (N) 87,484,486 51,334,291
36,141,755
8,440
104,148,094 60,187,586 43,952,346
8,162
Functional Limitation by Category
Category
Total Population by
Functional Limitation
Male
Female
Seeing
4,314,433
2,285,068
2,029,365
Hearing
4,778,218
2,520,248
2,257,970
Walking/climbing
7,493,240
4,008,994
3,484,246
Communication
2,584,399
1,419,295
1,165,104
Memorization/focus
3,538,180
1,899,015
1,639,165
Self care etc.
2,611,695
1,362,575
1,249,120
Functional Limitation Percent
Seeing
1.79
1.85
1.74
Hearing
1.99
2.04
1.94
Walking/ Climbing
3.12
3.24
2.99
Communication
1.07
1.15
1.00
Memorization/ Focus
1.47
1.53
1.41
Self care etc.
1.09
1.10
1.07
Pakistan Bureau of Statistics
NATIONAL CENSUS REPORT 145
Although the literacy rate for both males and females has increased since 2017, as per the Census-2023 results, the gender-gap in literacy still persists as illustrated in figure 4.11.
Figure 4.11: Literacy Rate by Sex and Rural/Urban: Census-2017&2023
Analyzing by gender and region, it is revealed that there is stark difference in urban rural in
terms of male & female literacy. The gender gap in urban areas is around 9 percentage points
while the same in rural areas is 20 percentage points. This implies there is strong need to work
in rural areas of province for education infrastructure alongwith emphases in quality for
increasing literacy in rural areas.
Province Wise Analysis of Literacy
Table 4.21 shows variations in the literacy rate by administrative units for rural/urban areas
and provinces of Pakistan according to Census-2023.The literacy rate in ICT is the highest with
83.97% among all the administrative units of Pakistan. Among the provinces, Punjab has the
highest literacy rate of 66.25 % followed by Sindh as 57.54 %, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as 51.09
% and Balochistan with 42.01 % respectively. In rural areas, Punjab and KP have taken the
lead with literacy ratio of 58.37% and 48.35%, respectively. In urban areas, on the other hand,
Punjab has the highest literacy ratio of 77.30% followed by Sindh at 72.26%.
Table 4.21: Literacy Rate by Administrative Units : Census – 2023
Pakistan KP Punjab Sindh Balochistan ICT All Areas 60.65 51.09 66.25 57.54 42.01 83.97 Rural 51.56 48.35 58.37 38.14 35.74 84.88 Urban 74.09 65.55 77.30 72.26 55.86 82.91 Total Literates (N) 104,148,094 14,420,285 61,882,702 22,431,392 3,904,799 1,508,916 67.79 61.32 77.97 68.00 61.02 78.13 49.69 38.57 68.13 52.84 41.67 69.71 38.76 30.51 45.48 40.15 32.94 42.40 Total Rural Urban Total Rural Urban 2017 2023 MALE FEMALE TRANSGENDER
Pakistan Bureau of Statistics
NATIONAL CENSUS REPORT 146
District Wise Analysis of Literacy
A comprehensive analysis of literacy rate in Pakistan aims to identify disparities, understand
regional educational challenges, and inform policy decisions to improve literacy outcomes
across districts. The literacy rate across 136 districts shows an average literacy rate of 60.65%.
The districts with literacy rates higher than the average of 60.65% are 39. Whereas, 97 districts
fall below the average literacy rate of 60.65%. This average serves as a benchmark to assess
the distribution of literacy rates in the districts of Pakistan.
The literacy rates across the districts reveal a diverse distribution. The data, categorized
into different literacy rate brackets, is as follows:
• Up to 20.0% Literacy: 2 districts i.e. District Sherani and District Lower Kohistan
Central fall into this category, indicating that in these areas, the literacy rate is relatively
low.
• 20.1% to 40.0% Literacy: There are 42 districts that a significant portion of districts have literacy rates within this range, reflecting moderate levels of literacy.
• 40.1% to 60.0% Literacy: The largest group with 52 districts where literacy rates fall into this bracket, suggesting a better literacy scenario compared to the previous categories.
• 60.1% to 80.0% Literacy: there are 34 districts in this range, showing higher literacy levels and suggesting a more educated population in these areas.
• 80.1% and Above Literacy : Only 6 districts, achieves this high literacy level, indicating that there are a few districts with exceptionally high literacy, it represents a small fraction of the total districts.
Province Punjab leads in literacy rate, while Balochistan faced low literacy rate among four
provinces of Pakistan as most of the district of Balochistan literacy ranged from 20% to 40%.
The highest literacy rate among 136 Districts of Pakistan is of Islamabad (83.91%) followed
by District Karachi Central (83.65%), District Rawalpindi (83.23%), District Gujrat (81.34%)
and District Jhelum, (80.63%).
By analyzing the low ranked districts in terms of literacy rates, the Lowest literacy rate
has been observed in District Kolai Palas Kohistan with 18.80%. Other districts with lowesr
literacy rate are District Upper Kohistan with 19.05%, District Washuk with 21. 66%, District
Lower Kohistan Central with 22.0 4% and District Sherani with 23.86%.The districts stand in
the low rank may attribute to factors like remote and rugged terrain, limited resources,
infrastructural deficiencies, traditional norms & security concerns etc.
Pakistan Bureau of Statistics
NATIONAL CENSUS REPORT 147
Figure 4.13 presents a district -wise comparison of literacy rates (ages 10 and above) across
Pakistan, with the purple and red vertical dashed lines representing the national and provincial
averages, respectively. Disparities among provinces reflecting variations in educational
infrastructure, socio-economic conditions, and policy implementation. In Balochistan, only 10
districts surpass the provincial average literacy rate 42.01%. Alarmingly, all 34 districts are
bellow the national average , indicating a severe educational crisis. Districts such as Washuk,
Sherani, and Dera Bugti report alarmingly low literacy levels due to inadequate school
facilities, widespread poverty, and socio -cultural barriers that particularly hinder female
education.
Sindh shows a similar pattern, with 23 out of 30 districts falling short of the national
literacy benchmark. Only 8 districts exceed the provincial average literacy rate of 57.54%.
Rural areas such as Thatta, Sujawal and Tando Muhammad Khan remain significantly behind,
primarily due to economic challenges, limited access to quality education, and entrenched
social barriers.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 14 out of 35 districts remain below the national average,
with remote and tribal areas such as Kohistan and Bajaur reporting some of the lowest literacy
rates, primarily due to geographical inaccessibility, poor school infrastructure, and security
challenges that have disrupted education over time.
Punjab, on the other hand, performs significantly better, with only 5 out of 36 districts
failing to reach the national literacy threshold. Cities like Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Faisalabad
benefit from better educational infrastructure, extensive literacy programs, and government
initiatives. However, some districts, including Rajanpur and Dera Gazi Khan, still struggle due
to localized poverty and lack of adequate schooling facilities.
Figure 4.12: Literacy Rate in Pakistan, Census-2023
Pakistan Bureau of Statistics
NATIONAL CENSUS REPORT 148
Figure 4.13: District Wise Comparison of Literacy Rate (10 Years and Above)
Pakistan Bureau of Statistics
NATIONAL CENSUS REPORT 149
4.6.2 Out of School Children (OOSC) 5 – 16 Years Out of school children (OOSC) 5-16 years are calculated from children who have never been to school and dropped from school. It is an important development indicator reflecting the exclusion of potential future literate work force.
As per Table 4.22 Census-2023 there are 71.27 million children aged 5-16 years in Pakistan. Out of which 45.90 million (64.40%) are currently attended school and 25.37 million (35.60%) are currently out of school. Disaggregated out of school children (35.60%) reveals that, there are 28.11% who have never been to school and 7.49% are those who ever attended and then dropped from school. Table 4.22: Region & Gender Wise Population Aged 5-16 Years and Out Of School Children Aged 5-16 Years (In Million)
The out of school analysis reveals that the gender disparity is wider for both rural and urban as percentage of out of school females are higher with 46.39% and 25.89% as compared to 36.65% and 24.99% respectively for males. This may be due to social context, less education facilities for females in their areas. Province Wise Analysis Out of School Children (OOSC) 5-16 years According to the 2023 Census, Punjab has the highest school enrollment rate at 73.02%, followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with 62.51%, Sindh at 53.71%, and Balochistan with the lowest enrollment rate of 42.03%. Islamabad has the highest enrollment rate at 84.94%, with Region / Sex Total Population In-School Out of School Children Never to School Drop Out In- School OOSC Never to School Drop Out Total All Sexes 71,270,068 45,896,687 25,373,381 20,033,448 5,339,933 64.40 35.60 28.11 7.49 Male 36,881,757 24,917,199 11,964,558 9,141,561 2,822,997 67.56 32.44 24.79 7.65 Female 34,386,146 20,979,071 13,407,075 10,890,485 2,516,590 61.01 38.99 31.67 7.32 Trans- gender 2,165 417 1,748 1,402 346 19.26 80.74 64.76 15.98 Rural All Sexes 45,533,569 26,703,963 18,829,606 15,618,360 3,211,246 58.65 41.35 34.30 7.05 Male 23,564,559 14,927,334 8,637,225 6,969,648 1,667,577 63.35 36.65 29.58 7.08 Female 21,968,105 11,776,429 10,191,676 8,648,143 1,543,533 53.61 46.39 39.37 7.03 Trans- gender 905 200 705 569 136 22.10 77.90 62.87 15.03 Urban All Sexes 25,736,499 19,192,724 6,543,775 4,415,088 2,128,687 74.57 25.43 17.15 8.27 Male 13,317,198 9,989,865 3,327,333 2,171,913 1,155,420 75.01 24.99 16.31 8.68 Female 12,418,041 9,202,642 3,215,399 2,242,342 973,057 74.11 25.89 18.06 7.84 Trans- gender 1,260 217 1,043 833 210 17.22 82.78 66.11 16.67