Karachi: Sindh, once a leader in literacy among Pakistan’s provinces, has experienced stagnation over the past two decades, resulting in a decline in its comparative ranking. While its literacy rates have shown little change, other provinces have made significant gains, reshaping the landscape of educational achievement in the country.

According to Gilani Research Foundation, in 2004, Sindh ranked second in male literacy after Punjab, with a male literacy rate of 65.9% and female literacy at 37.3%. It also had the second-smallest gender literacy gap at 28.6 percentage points. However, by 2025, Sindh’s male literacy rate has decreased to 63.0%, the lowest among all four provinces, and female literacy has marginally increased to 38.8%, placing Sindh third in female literacy rankings. The gender gap has narrowed slightly to 24.2 percentage points.

The key issue highlighted in Sindh’s literacy story is not a decline in literacy rates but rather stagnation. While Sindh’s literacy indicators have remained relatively unchanged over the past two decades, other provinces have made much faster progress. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, for example, increased male literacy from 65.3% to 76.8% and female literacy from 27.1% to 46.0%, overtaking Sindh on both measures. Balochistan also raised its male literacy from 52.7% to 65.2%, moving ahead of Sindh despite a significant gap in 2004. Punjab retained its leadership, increasing male literacy to 72.8% and female literacy to 60.3%.

Sindh’s experience underscores an important policy lesson that development is relative. When neighboring provinces improve rapidly, maintaining similar outcomes over time results in a decline in comparative performance. The analysis, conducted using the Gallup Pakistan Digital Analytics Atlas of Development (1990-2025), emphasizes the importance of understanding provincial dynamics for future education policy efforts.