The cumulative education expenditures by federal and provincial governments in the fiscal year 2022-23 (FY23) are estimated at 1.77 percent of GDP, which is the lowest in the region.
The Economic Survey 2022-23 noted that expenditures on education-related activities during fiscal year 2022 witnessed an increase of 37.3 percent, and reached Rs. 1,101.7 billion from Rs. 802.2 billion.
According to Labor Force Survey 2020-21, literacy rate was 62.8 percent in 2020-21 as compared to 62.4 percent in 2018- 19, higher in males (increased from 73.0 percent in 2018-19 to 73.4 percent in 2020-21) than females (from 51.5 percent to 51.9 percent for the same period).
Area-wise analysis suggests literacy increased in both rural areas from 53.7 percent in 2018-19 to 54.0 percent in 2020-21, while in urban areas it increased from 76.1 percent in 2018-19 to 77.3 percent in 2020-21. The male-female disparity seems to be narrowing down over time. The literacy rate has gone up in all provinces, with Punjab (increased 66.1 percent to 66.3 percent), Sindh (61.6 percent to 61.8 percent), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (52.4 percent to 55.1 percent), and Balochistan (53.9 percent to 54.5 percent).
The literacy rate (10 years and older) is 60 percent, showing males as more literate than females. Punjab is at the top while Balochistan is at the bottom. Youth literacy (15-24 years) is 72 percent (Male: 79 percent and Female: 65 percent). The province-wise comparative situation is the same with higher disparities for females than males in youth literacy rates. The adult literacy rate is 57 percent (Male: 68 percent and Female: 46 percent) depicting that the adult male population is more literate than the adult female population.