HIES 2024-25 (SOCIAL REPORT) 48
Education Middle and Matric Enrolment Rates 2.6.1 Middle Enrolments: -
a) Gross Enrolment Rate (Middle);
The Gross Enrolment Rate (GER) at the middle level is assessed for two age groups: 11–13 years and 10–12 years. For the 11–13 age group, the national GER recorded a slight decline from 63% in 2018–19 to 61% in 2024–25 (Figure 2.17). At the provincial level, Punjab experienced a decline from 68% to 64%, and Sindh also declined slightly from 53% to 51% which shows less enrollment of overage children. In contrast, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa showed improvement, rising from 65% to 69%, indicating better access to middle -level education. Balochistan, although still the lowest among provinces, increased from 43% in 2018–19 to 49% in 2024–25, reflecting gradual progress in educational participation. At the national level, the urban GER declined from 73% to 68%, while the rural GER marginally improved from 57% to 58%, slightly narrowing the urban–rural disparity (Table 14a). For the 10–12 years age group, the national GER increased from 56% in 2018–19 to 60% in 2024–25, reflecting a modest upward trend. At the provincial level, Punjab improved from 62% to 64%, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa showed a substantial rise from 59% to 6 9%, maintaining its strong performance. Sindh experienced a slight increase from 45% to 4 8%, and Balochistan also progressed from 38% to 43%. Gender disparities narrowed nationally, with female GER rising from 51% to 56%, although male GER remained higher at 63% in 2024 –25. The urban–rural gap persists, with urban GER at 66% and rural GER at 56%, yet both showed improvement compared to 2018–19 levels (Table 14b). Figure 2.17: GER Middle age (11-13) years by Province 61 64 51 69 49 63 68 53 65 43 Pakistan Punjab Sindh KP Balochistan 2024-25 2018-19
HIES 2024-25 (SOCIAL REPORT) 49
Education
b) Net Enrolment Rates(Middle);
The Net Enrolment Rate (NER) for middle-level students aged 11–13 has shown a positive trend,
rising to 40% in 2024 –25 from 38% in 2018 –19, with both male and female enrolments
contributing to this growth. Both male and female NE Rs have increased, with males at 42% and
females at 38%, compared to 40% and 36% in 2018 –19. At the provincial level, Punjab reached
44%, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa improved significantly from 36% to 43%, while Sindh saw a modest
increase from 30% to 32%. Balochistan also made progress, rising from 20% to 25%, although it
remains the lowest among provinces. Urban–rural disparities persist: urban NER declined slightly
from 47% to 45%, while rural NER increased from 34% to 3 7%, reflecting improved access in
rural communities (Table 15a).
For the 10–12 years age group, the middle-level NER increased from 22% in 2018 –19 to 23% in
2024–25. In rural areas, NER rose marginally from 19% to 22%, while urban NER declined from
28% to 26%, reflecting a shift in access patterns. Provincially, Punjab remained the highest at 27%,
and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa showed notable improvement from 18% to 24%. Sindh increased from
16% to 18%, and Balochistan rose from 11% to 13%, though it continues to be the lowest among
provinces. Despite the se gains, overall NER levels for this age group remain relatively low,
emphasizing the ongoing need to strengthen middle -level education, particularly in rural and
underserved areas (Table 15b).
2.6.2 Matric Enrolment
a) Gross Enrolment Rates (Matric);
The Gross Enrolment Rate (GER) at the Matric level is assessed for two age groups: 14–15 years
and 13–14 years. Nationally, GER for the 14 –15 years age group rose from 57% in 2018 –19 to
60% in 2024–25, driven largely by an increase in female enrolment from 48% to 57%, while male
enrolment slightly declined from 66% to 64%. Provincially, Punjab remains the highest at 68%,
followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at 57%, Sindh at 51%, and Balochistan at the lowest 40%.
Urban areas continue to outperform rural areas, wi th GER at 74% in urban Pakistan compared to
52% in rural regions, reflecting persistent access disparities. For the 13–14 years age group, overall
GER recorded at 60%, with female participation again rising (from 48% to 57%) and male
enrolment declining from 67% to 64%, while Balochistan again records the lowest GER at 40%,
HIES 2024–25 shows that 40 out of every 100 children aged 11–13 are enrolled in
middle school.
HIES 2024-25 (SOCIAL REPORT) 50
Education
underscoring the need to improve access to secondary education in rural and underserved areas
(Table 16a & 16b).
b) Net Enrolment Rates (Matric);
The Net Enrolment Rate (NER) at Matric level is assessed for two age groups: 14 –15 years and
13–14 years. The Net Enrolment Rate (NER) at the matric level for the 14 –15 years age group
shows gradual improvement, rising from 27% in 2018 –19 to 30% in 2024 –25. While male
enrolment slightly increased to 30% from 29%, female enrolment increased from 26% to 29%,
indicating a narrowing gender gap. Provincially, Punjab leads with 34%, followed by Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa at 29%, Sindh at 24%, and Balochistan at a significantly low 15%. The rural-urban
divide remains prominent, with urban areas reporting 36% NER compared to 26% in rural areas.
For the 13–14 years age group, overall NER rose slightly from 14% to 16%, with female enrolment
increasing to 17% while male enrolm ent remained at 14%. Punjab again shows the highest
provincial performance at 19%, whereas Balochistan remains the lowest at 5%, with rural female
enrolment stagnant at just 1%. These figures highlight ongoing challenges in ensuring timely
progression to secondary education, particularly for rural girls (Table 17a & 17b).
Early Leavers and Non-Attendance
Leaving school before completing primary education has long been a concern in Pakistan. The percentage of children aged 10 –18 years who have ever attended primary school but left before completing it remained unchanged at 7 percent at the national level between 2018 –19 and 2024– 25, though notable provincial differ ences persist. In Punjab, the overall rate stayed constant at 7 percent, with a slight decline in female dropouts from 6 percent to 5 percent, reflecting a modest improvement in girls’ school retention. In Sindh, the total proportion of early school leaver s increased slightly from 6 percent to 7 percent, while the gender gap narrowed as both boys and girls recorded equal rates in 2024–25. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa demonstrated improvement, with the total dropping from 8 percent to 6 percent, though a gender dispar ity remains, female dropout (10%) is still higher than male (4%). The most notable progress is observed in Balochistan, where early school leaving fell sharply from 11 percent in 2018 –19 to 6 percent in 2024 –25, indicating HIES 2024–25 shows that 30 out of every 100 children aged 14–15 are enrolled in matric.
HIES 2024-25 (SOCIAL REPORT) 51
Education strong gains in both male and female retention. Overall, while the national average remained stable, the decline in dropout rates in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, points toward gradual yet uneven progress in reducing early school leaving across Pakistan. (Table 2.3).
Note:- In the HIES Report 2018–19, there was a typographical error in this table — the columns were labelled as Urban, Rural, Total instead of the correct headings Male, Female, Total for the calculation of table 2.3.
Dropout rates in primary education rise progressively with grade level, with rural students and
girls disproportionately affected. In 2024–25, dropout is minimal in early grades, with only 0.6%
of students leaving in Class 1, but it escalates sharply by Class 6, reaching 17.1% nationally. Rural
areas experience much higher attrition (20.9%) compared to urban areas (11.7%). For boys, Class
6 dropout is 15.4%, a slight improvement from 16.0% in 2018–19, with rural boys at 17.5%. Girls
face steeper challenges, with Class 6 dropout at 19% overall and a pronounced rural–urban
disparity (25.2% rural vs 10.9% urban). While dropout rates for girls have decreased marginally
from 21.8% in 2018–19 to 19.1% in 2024–25, rural attrition remains high. These patterns indicate
that retention becomes critical in upper primary grades, particularly for rural girls, underscoring
he urgent need for targeted interventions to ensure continued schooling beyond early grades (Table
18).
Figure 2.18 :Drop-Out Rates for The Cohort Aged 15-19 Years - By Both sexes And Class
Table 2.3: Percentage of Children 10-18 years old that left school before completing
primary level
2024-25 2018-19
Male Female Total Male Female Total Pakistan 7 6 7 7 8 7 Punjab 8 5 7 8 6 7 Sindh 7 7 7 5 7 6 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 4 10 6 5 12 8 Balochistan 6 6 6 9 14 11 .6 0.9 2.2 4.4 6.5 17.1 0.1 0.6 1.9 4.1 6.7 18.6 .0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 CLASS 1 CLASS 2 CLASS 3 CLASS 4 CLASS 5 CLASS 6 2024-25 2018-19
HIES 2024-25 (SOCIAL REPORT) 52
Education Reasons for leaving School Before completing Primary Level for age (10- 18) years
The reasons for leaving school before completing primary education vary by gender, province, and location. Nationally, boys most commonly leave school because they are unwilling (22%), had to help with work (21%), or find education too expensive (17%),. In contrast, girls often leave due to financial constraints (16%), unwillingness (15%), parental or elder restrictions (1 1%), or to help at home (8%) (Table 19). Provincial patterns highlight further disparities. In Punjab, boys most often cited unwillingness (24%) and had to help with work (19%), while girls cited unwillingness (21%) and high costs (17%). In Sindh, boys frequently left due to work responsibility (19%), education being perceived as not useful (1 7%) and financial barriers (14%), while girls left due to high costs (18%) and unwillingness (17 %). Khyber Pakhtunkhwa shows boys leaving mainly because of work obligations (31%) or unwillingness (30%), whereas girls cite at home work responsibility (14 %) education not useful (11%) and In Balochistan, boys predominantly leave to help with work (31%) or because education is seen as not useful (13%), while girls leave due to reason lack of usefulness of education (22%) and parental restrictions (19%). Overall, these data reveal that socioeconomic factors, gender norms, and perceptions of education significantly influence early school leaving. Boys are more affected by work responsibilities and personal unwillingness, while girls face stronger familial restrictions and domestic responsibilities. Rural areas and provinces like Balochistan and Sindh show particularly high dropout pressures, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions to keep children, especially girls, in school.
HIES 2024-25 (SOCIAL REPORT) 53
Education
List of Tables
Table 1a Population 10 Year and older that has Ever Attended School - by Province, Region and Gender
Table 1b Population that has completed Primary Lor Higher - by Province, Region and Gender
Table 1c Percentage of Out of School Children age (5-16 Years) - by Province, Region and Gender
Table 2 Population 10 Year and older that has Ever Attended School - by Region and Age Categories
Table 3 Population 10 Year and older that has Ever Attended School - by Region and Quintiles
Table 4 Population that has Completed Primary Level or Higher - by Region and Age- Categories
Table 5a Literacy - Population 10 Years and older - by Province, Region and Gender
Table 5b Youth Literacy- Population 15-24 Years - by Province, Region and Gender
Table 5c Adult Literacy - Population 15 Years and older - by Province, Region and Gender
Table 6 Literacy - Population 10 Years and - by Region and Age-Categories
Table 7 Literacy - Population 10 Years and - by Region and Quintiles
Table 8a Gross Enrolment Rate at the Primary Level (age 6-10) by Region and Province (Excluding Katchi)
Table 8b Gross Enrolment Rate at the Primary Level (age 5-9) by Region and Province (Excluding Katchi)
Table 8c Gross Enrolment Rate at the Primary Level (age 4-9) by Region and Province (Including Katchi)
Table 9a Net Enrolment Rate at the Primary Level (age 6-10) by Region and Province (Excluding Katchi)
Table 9b Net Enrolment Rate at the Primary Level (age 5-9) by Region and Province (Excluding Katchi)
Table 9c Net Enrolment Rate at the Primary Level (age 4-9) by Region and Province (Including Katchi)
Table 10 Percentages of children attending primary (Including Katchi class) and secondary level-by age
Table 11a Gross Enrolment Rate for government primary schools (age 5-9) by Region and Province
(Excluding Katchi)
Table 11b Net Enrolment Rate for government primary schools (age 5-9) by Region and Province
(Excluding Katchi)
Table 12 Children Currently Attending School – By Level and Type of School
Table 13a Enrolment in Katchi class as a percentage of Total Enrolment in Katchi and class one
Table 13b Enrolment in Katchi class as a percentage of total primary enrolment
Table 14a Gross Enrolment Rate at the Middle level (age 11-13) by region and province
Table 14b Gross Enrolment Rate at the Middle level (age 10-12) by region and province
Table 15a Net Enrolment Rate at the Middle level (age 11-13) by region and province
Table 15b Net Enrolment Rate at the Middle level (age 10-12) by region and province
Table 16a Gross Enrolment Rate at the Matric level (age 14-15) by region and province
Table 16b Gross Enrolment Rate at the Matric level (age 13-14) by region and province
Table 17a Gross Enrolment Rate at the Matric level (age 14-15) by region and province
Table 17b Gross Enrolment Rate at the Matric level (age 13-14) by region and province
Table 18 Drop-out rates for the Age Cohort 15-19 years - by gender and class
Table 19 Reasons for Leaving School before Completing Primary 10-18 Years –By Province
HIES 2024-25 (SOCIAL REPORT) 54
Education Table 1
a) Ever Attended
(age >=10 years)
b) Completed Primary
Level (age >=10 years)
c) Out of School children
(age 5-16 years)
Province\Region\Gender
2024-25
2018-19
2024-25
2018-19
2024-25
2018-19
Pakistan
67
61
57
51
28
30
Male
77
73
65
61
25
25
Female
57
50
48
42
31
36
Urban
77
75
68
66
20
20
Male
83
81
73
71
21
19
Female
71
68
63
60
20
22
Rural
59
53
49
42
33
35
Male
72
67
60
54
28
28
Female
47
40
39
32
38
43
Punjab
72
67
62
57
21
21
Male
80
76
67
63
21
19
Female
65
59
56
50
21
23
Urban
81
79
71
70
14
14
Male
86
84
74
73
16
15
Female
76
74
68
67
13
12
Rural
66
60
55
48
25
25
Male
76
71
62
57
24
21
Female
57
50
48
41
26
29
Sindh
60
57
52
49
39
42
Male
70
69
62
60
35
34
Female
49
45
43
38
44
49
Urban
74
72
66
64
27
27
Male
80
79
72
71
27
23
Female
67
64
60
56
27
30
Rural
42
40
34
32
51
55