Why aggregate numbers fail Pakistan's out-of-school children Ayesha TahirAmer HasanKoen Geven June 04, 2026 This page in: English © 2026 The World Bank Group,

https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/developmenttalk/why-aggregate-numbers-fail-pakistan-s-out-of-school-children Pakistan has roughly 25 million children between the ages of 5 and 16 who are not in school — the second largest out-of-school population in the world. However, this figure alone does not guide action. Policymakers need to know where these children are and why they are out of school. Aggregate data do not explain whether these children lack access or face issues in attending nearby schools . And that matters a lot, because a child who lives two hours from the nearest school and a child who lives two blocks from three different schools but still isn't enrolled faces very different obstacles. One is a crisis of supply; the other a crisis of demand. For decades, local government officials have lacked the tools to tell these two problems apart. © 2026 The World Bank Group,