Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity was 0.43 GPIA in 2021. ▲ Rising
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity in Afghanistan, 1979–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in GPIA.
Analysis
Afghanistan recorded 0.43 GPIA for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity in 2021.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 16.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity in Afghanistan peaked at 0.43 GPIA in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.16 GPIA, in 1979.
That places Afghanistan 87th out of 88 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | GPIA | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 0.16 GPIA | — |
| 2011 | 0.37 GPIA | +131.2% |
| 2015 | 0.34 GPIA | -8.1% |
| 2020 | 0.43 GPIA | +26.5% |
| 2021 | 0.43 GPIA | -0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.16 GPIA | 0.16 GPIA | 0.16 GPIA | 1 |
| 2010s | 0.355 GPIA | 0.34 GPIA | 0.37 GPIA | 2 |
| 2020s | 0.43 GPIA | 0.43 GPIA | 0.43 GPIA | 2 |
Countries ranked near Afghanistan
More education data for Afghanistan
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 88,020 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 343,942 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 13,837 (2003)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 10,383 (2003)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.43 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 7.51 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 3.56 % change on previous year (2019)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0004 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1811 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity in Afghanistan?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity in Afghanistan was 0.43 GPIA in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 0.43 GPIA in 2020.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.16 GPIA in 1979.
- How does Afghanistan rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity?
- Afghanistan ranks 87th out of 88 countries with data for 2021.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, adjusted gender parity index (GPIA). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release