Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, rural, female in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, rural, female was 20.0% in 2022. ◆ Volatile
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, rural, female in Afghanistan, 1979–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Afghanistan recorded 20.0% for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, rural, female in 2022. That is the highest value across all 5 years on record.
That represents a change of up 26.8% on the previous year and up 103.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, rural, female in Afghanistan peaked at 20.0% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 2.2%, in 1979.
That places Afghanistan 53rd out of 55 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, rural, female in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 2.2% | — |
| 2011 | 9.8% | +345.9% |
| 2015 | 11.1% | +12.6% |
| 2021 | 15.8% | +42.5% |
| 2022 | 20.0% | +26.8% |
Afghanistan compared with similar countries
- Afghanistan's 20.0% is below the median for low income countries, which is 29.3%, 68% of the median. (8 countries reporting)
- Afghanistan's 20.0% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 66.7%, 30% of the median. (10 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.2% | 2.2% | 2.2% | 1 |
| 2010s | 10.4% | 9.8% | 11.1% | 2 |
| 2020s | 17.9% | 15.8% | 20.0% | 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, rural, female in Afghanistan?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, rural, female in Afghanistan was 20.0% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, rural, female recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 20.0% in 2022.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, rural, female recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.2% in 1979.
- How does Afghanistan rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, rural, female?
- Afghanistan ranks 53rd out of 55 countries with data for 2022.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, rural, female rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 103.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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, rural, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 5 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release