Education

61.2% of Pakistan illiterate 50.0% male illiteracy

75.6% female illiteracy

Limits opportunities of women



Women don't enter workforce Poorly educated about family planning No control of population

Perhaps the greatest loss comes in the area of education. Whether or not this is a direct result of Pakistan's economic problems, it is undoubtedly connected. With so many resources directed towards the aforementioned debt payment, educational improvements are given and inordinately low priority. In addition, Musharraf's military dictatorship has understandably not placed great emphasis on education in Pakistan. This is evident upon examination of Pakistan's overall literacy rate of 37.8% (50% for men and 24.4% for women). Literacy being defined as those over 15 who can read and write.

In terms of population, low literacy rates are often observed with high population growth. A poorly educated population is unlikely to participate in family planning or any other form of population control. Secondarily, a poorly educated populace makes Pakistan a poor choice for the foreign investors that it so desperately needs. Furthermore, the extremely low literacy rate among Pakistani women (24.4%) lends itself to a society where most women never enter the labor force, creating less incentives for them to limit the size of their families. This is best illustrated by the fact that only 38 million of Pakistan's 141 million people make up the entire labor force.