Pakistan’s youth literacy stands at 72%: survey

ISLAMABAD: The country’s youth literacy remained at 72 per cent at the national level, proportionately higher in urban areas with 84 per cent than in rural areas with 65 per cent, according to the Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement Survey (PSLM 2019/20) conducted by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.

The youth literacy is calculated from the age 15 to 24 years and for the first time it is being calculated in PSLM District Level Survey 2019/20.

The PSLM District Level Survey 2019/20 results revealed Punjab to be on top among all the provinces in youth literacy with 78 per cent; followed by Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, 67 per cent; while Balochistan is at the lowest with 57 per cent. The youth literacy in Islamabad is reported at 93 per cent.

However, district-wise comparison reveals that Narowal and Sialkot top with 93 per cent, Korangi with 92 per cent, Abbottabad with 95 per cent, Pishin and Quetta with 76 per cent are on top in their respective provinces, while Rajanpur with 52 per cent, Kashmore with 31 per cent, Mohmand with 30 per cent and Shaheed Sikandarabad with 11 per cent are on the bottom in their respective provinces.

Adult literacy remained stagnant at 57 per cent in 2019/20 as in 2014/15. The regional comparison shows a 2 per cent decline in the urban areas with 72 per cent in 2019/20, compared with 74 per cent in 2014/15, the survey showed.

This percentage inclines in the rural areas with 48 per cent in 2019/20, compared with 46 per cent in 2014/15. Further, the gender pattern depicts that the percentage of men is higher with 68 per cent than in women with 46 per cent.

Similarly, the provincial comparison shows that Punjab is on top among all the provinces with 61 per cent in 2019/20, compared with 60 per cent in 2014/15; followed by Sindh with 57 per cent, compared with 58 per cent in 2014/15 and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has shown increasing trend with 49 per cent during the period 2019/20, compared with 47 per cent in 2014/15.

However, Balochistan is on the bottom with 44 per cent in 2019/20, compared with 38 per cent in 2014/15.

The adult literacy in Islamabad is reported at 84 per cent. Similarly, district-wise comparison reveals that Rawalpindi with 80 per cent, Korangi with 83 per cent, Abbottabad with 71 per cent and Quetta with 63 per cent are the top most districts in their respective provinces.

However, Rajanpur with 37 per cent, Tharparkar with 26 per cent, Mohmand with 20 per cent and Shaheed Sikandarabad with 11 per cent are on the bottom in their respective provinces.

The PSLM 2019/20 is the 12th round of a series of surveys, initiated in 2004. The current round of PSLM district level survey covered 5,893 blocks and 176,790 households and provided district level indicators on education, health, housing, water sanitation and hygiene, information communication and technology (ICT), and food insecurity experience scale.

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