Afghanistan vs Pakistan: Adult literacy

Adult literacy in 2021: 37.3% in Afghanistan and 58.9% in Pakistan, by UNESCO estimates. In 2021 the value was higher in Pakistan, by 21.6 percentage points, or 1.58 times that in Afghanistan.

Watch it change on the map

% of adults · UNESCO

AfghanistanPakistanWorld

What the numbers say

Pakistan has been higher in every year both have figures for since 2011.
The world as a whole: 87.2% in 2021.

Every year

% of adults · UNESCO

Year	Afghanistan	Pakistan	World
2024	–	–	87.7
2023	–	–	87.6
2022	–	–	87.4
2021	37.3	58.9	87.2
2020	36	–	87
2019	–	58	86.8
2018	–	57	86.8
2017	–	59.1	86.5
2016	–	–	86.3
2015	33.8	–	86
2014	–	57	85.6
2013	–	55.6	85.2
2012	–	56.8	84.9
2011	31.5	54.7	84.7
2010	–	55.4	84.4
2009	–	54.9	83.8
2008	–	55.5	83.5
2007	–	52.1	83.1
2006	–	54.2	82.5
2005	–	49.9	82.6
2004	–	–	82.6
2003	–	–	82.2
2002	–	–	81.7
2001	–	–	81.4
2000	–	–	81.1
1999	–	–	80.9
1998	–	42.7	80.5
1997	–	–	79.3
1996	–	–	77.3
1995	–	–	76.9
1994	–	–	76.4
1993	–	–	76
1992	–	–	75.5
1991	–	–	75.1
1990	–	–	74.6
1989	–	–	74.1
1988	–	–	73.6
1987	–	–	71.9
1986	–	–	71.3
1985	–	–	70.7
1984	–	–	70.2
1983	–	–	69.5
1982	–	–	68.9
1981	–	25.7	68.4
1980	–	–	67.8
1979	18.2	–	67.2
1978	–	–	66.5
1977	–	–	65.9
1976	–	–	65.6
1975	–	–	65.4

Each country on its own

Good to know

The share of people aged 15 and over who can read and write a short, simple statement about their everyday life.
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics, via the World Bank.
The faint line is the world as a whole, as the same source counts it.

How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time

Afghanistan vs Pakistan

Health

People

Economy

Education

Politics

Conflict

Deaths in conflictsAfghanistan: 1,498 deaths in 2022Pakistan: 738 deaths in 2022