What does “out of school” mean in Pakistan’s education data?
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Direct answer
PSLM defines out-of-school children aged 5–16 as those who have never attended school plus those who attended and later left. The 2019–20 district report provides national, provincial, district, sex, and urban-rural percentages. Nationally, it reported 32% out of school, with a higher share for girls and rural children. This is an education-access measure for a specific survey period, not a direct explanation of later employment, marriage timing, or matrimonial preferences.
Sources used
Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement Survey 2019–20
Pakistan Bureau of Statistics
Government survey source for literacy, education and household living-standard indicators.View sourceEducation in Pakistan
UNICEF Pakistan
UNICEF context for out-of-school children, access gaps and gender/province differences in education.View source