Balochistan recorded the largest reduction in the proportion of out-of-school children among Pakistan’s provinces, with the rate declining from 69 percent in 2023 to 45 percent in 2025.
Balochistan records largest decline in out-of-school rate
ISLAMABAD, Jun 18 (APP):Balochistan recorded the largest reduction in the proportion of out-of-school children among Pakistan’s provinces, with the rate declining from 69 percent in 2023 to 45 percent in 2025.
According to official documents available with Wealth Pakistan, improvements in school participation have been observed across the country, with the national out-of-school children rate falling from 38 percent in 2023 to 28 percent in 2025. The documents show that the rate declined from 35 percent to 25 percent among boys and from 42 percent to 31 percent among girls during the period under review.
Balochistan achieved the most significant improvement among all provinces, reducing its out-of-school children rate by 24 percentage points.
Punjab’s rate declined from 32 percent to 21 percent, Sindh’s from 47 percent to 39 percent, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s from 30 percent to 28 percent.
The improvement in Balochistan was accompanied by gains in several other education indicators. The proportion of the population aged 10 years and above who had ever attended school increased from 39 percent in 2018-19 to 51 percent in 2024-25. Male attendance rose from 52 percent to 66 percent, while female attendance increased from 24 percent to 34 percent, reflecting broader access to education across the province.
The province also recorded a substantial improvement in educational attainment. The share of people aged 10 years and above who had completed at least primary education increased from 31 percent in 2018-19 to 42 percent in 2024-25, representing the largest relative gain among the provinces during the period.
According to the documents, school enrollment indicators have also improved in Balochistan. At the primary level, the Gross Enrollment Rate (GER) reached 59 percent, while enrollment at the middle and matric levels stood at 43 percent and 40 percent, respectively. Female participation in education also continued to improve across different levels.
The documents indicate that the nationwide reduction in out-of-school children reflects continued progress in expanding access to education and increasing school participation. Pakistan’s literacy rate for people aged 10 years and above also improved from 61 percent to 63 percent during the period under review, while gains in rural and female literacy contributed to the overall improvement.
