Which has higher average years of schooling, Afghanistan or Cambodia?

Cambodia, at 5.81 years against 5.69 years in Afghanistan as of 2020.

What is the difference in average years of schooling between Afghanistan and Cambodia?

0.12 years, with Cambodia ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for Afghanistan and Cambodia?

31 years are reported by both, from 1870 to 2020.

Where does this data come from?

Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Average years of schooling. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Afghanistan vs Cambodia: Average years of schooling

Afghanistan

5.69 years

in 2020

Cambodia

5.81 years

in 2020

Afghanistan rank

101st

Cambodia rank

99th

Average years of schooling over time

Afghanistan
Cambodia

How they compare

Cambodia currently reports 5.81 years against 5.69 years in Afghanistan, a difference of 0.12 years.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 31 shared years of data; in 1870 it was Cambodia ahead.

Afghanistan ranks 101st and Cambodia ranks 99th of 111 countries.

Across the 16 decades both report, Afghanistan averaged higher in 4 and Cambodia in 8.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Afghanistan	Cambodia	Difference	Ahead
1870s	0.01 years	0.01 years	0 years	—
1880s	0.01 years	0.01 years	0 years	—
1890s	0.01 years	0.01 years	0 years	—
1900s	0.01 years	0.01 years	0 years	—
1910s	0.015 years	0.01 years	0.005 years	Afghanistan
1920s	0.035 years	0.02 years	0.015 years	Afghanistan
1930s	0.045 years	0.035 years	0.01 years	Afghanistan
1940s	0.21 years	0.18 years	0.03 years	Afghanistan
1950s	0.3 years	0.555 years	0.255 years	Cambodia
1960s	0.415 years	1.38 years	0.965 years	Cambodia
1970s	0.845 years	2.11 years	1.26 years	Cambodia
1980s	1.51 years	2.78 years	1.27 years	Cambodia
1990s	2.23 years	3.31 years	1.08 years	Cambodia
2000s	3.17 years	3.95 years	0.775 years	Cambodia
2010s	4.37 years	5.13 years	0.76 years	Cambodia
2020s	5.69 years	5.81 years	0.12 years	Cambodia

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher average years of schooling, Afghanistan or Cambodia?: Cambodia, at 5.81 years against 5.69 years in Afghanistan as of 2020.
What is the difference in average years of schooling between Afghanistan and Cambodia?: 0.12 years, with Cambodia ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Afghanistan and Cambodia?: 31 years are reported by both, from 1870 to 2020.
How do Afghanistan and Cambodia rank globally for average years of schooling?: Afghanistan ranks 101st and Cambodia ranks 99th of 111 countries.
Where does this data come from?: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Average years of schooling. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Afghanistan vs Cambodia: Average years of schooling. Statizoid, drawing on Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 02 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/mean-years-of-schooling-long-run/afghanistan/cambodia/

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About this data

Indicator: Average years of schooling
Unit: years
Source: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 111 places, 3,441 data points, 1870–2020
Last refreshed: 28 August 2026

Average years of formal education for individuals aged 15-64.