Pakistan faces a worsening crisis of out-of-school children, soaring from 22.02 million to 26.21 million, as per the Pakistan Institute of Education (PIE) report. Concerningly, 39% of school-age children are now out of school, posing a persistent challenge for universal education. Balochistan sees the highest rate at 65%, while Islamabad reports the lowest. Despite a slight decrease in the percentage since 2016-17, the absolute number has surged, mainly due to population growth outpacing reduction efforts. Urgent interventions are needed, especially for the 10.77 million out-of-school primary-level children.