7.3.6. Education

The total literacy rate for Lahore district was reported to be 79.6 % for the population aged ten years and above by the 2023 Population & Housing Census. 81.4 % of men and 77.6 % of women were literate. 3.27 million children and youths were reported to be enrolled from primary level up to graduation and above, while 718.199 (20.5 %) children between five and 16 were reported to be out of school in Lahore district. Among the population aged five years and above, 21.2 % of men, 24.2 % of women, and 62.1 % of transgender individuals had never attended school.2251

Lahore is an important centre for education and home to numerous higher educational institutions.2252 According to the Population Council’s DVIP, the density of primary schools in Lahore is 3.42, while that of high and higher secondary schools is 2.33 per 10 square kilometres. Regarding access to public education, Lahore ranks 8th out of 129 reviewed Pakistani districts.2253 The Punjab annual school census for 2023-2024 reported 519 primary schools out of a total of 1 120 public schools up to the higher secondary level in Lahore as of March 2024.2254 The student-classroom ratio was 41 and the student-teacher ratio2255 was 45 at public primary school level in Lahore as of March 2024.2256 53 school buildings were reported to be partially or critically dangerous.2257 In February 2026, teaching was suspended in 133 government schools because the buildings were unsafe.2258 Due to hazardous air pollution levels2259 - the Air Quality Index in Lahore peaked at 1 165 - all educational institutions in Lahore, among several districts in Punjab, had to close for 11 days in November 2024.2260 The HEC listed 17 public and 26 private universities in Lahore.2261