Duration of compulsory education in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Duration of compulsory education was 9 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
9
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
120th
of 205 countries
All-time high
9
in 2008
All-time low
6
in 1998
Years of data
28
1998–2025
Duration of compulsory education in Afghanistan, 1998–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, duration of compulsory education in Afghanistan stood at 9. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, duration of compulsory education in Afghanistan peaked at 9 in 2008 and was at its lowest, 6, in 1998.
That places Afghanistan 120th out of 205 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Duration of compulsory education in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 6 | — |
| 1999 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 9 | +50.0% |
| 2009 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 9 | +0.0% |
Afghanistan compared with similar countries
- Afghanistan's 9 is above the median for low income countries, which is 8.5, 1.1× the median. (22 countries reporting)
- Afghanistan's 9 is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 10, 90% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 2 |
| 2000s | 6.6 | 6 | 9 | 10 |
| 2010s | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 |
| 2020s | 9 | 9 | 9 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Afghanistan
- 120 Albania 9 compare
- 120 Azerbaijan 9 compare
- 120 Bahrain 9 compare
- 120 Bosnia and Herzegovina 9 compare
- 120 Brunei 9 compare
- 120 China 9 compare
- 120 Cuba 9 compare
- 120 East Timor 9 compare
- 120 Estonia 9 compare
- 120 Gambia 9 compare
- 120 Georgia 9 compare
- 120 Guinea-Bissau 9 compare
- 120 Hong Kong 9 compare
- 120 Indonesia 9 compare
- 120 Iran 9 compare
- 120 Japan 9 compare
- 120 Kazakhstan 9 compare
- 120 Kiribati 9 compare
- 120 Kuwait 9 compare
- 120 Laos 9 compare
- 120 Libya 9 compare
- 120 Liechtenstein 9 compare
- 120 Mali 9 compare
- 120 Mauritania 9 compare
- 120 Montenegro 9 compare
- 120 Morocco 9 compare
- 120 Nepal 9 compare
- 120 Nigeria 9 compare
- 120 Poland 9 compare
- 120 Saudi Arabia 9 compare
- 120 Sierra Leone 9 compare
- 120 Slovenia 9 compare
- 120 South Africa 9 compare
- 120 South Korea 9 compare
- 120 Syria 9 compare
- 120 Tajikistan 9 compare
- 120 Thailand 9 compare
- 120 Tunisia 9 compare
- 120 Tuvalu 9 compare
- 120 Yemen 9 compare
More education data for Afghanistan
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 15.63 (1993)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 31.23 (1993)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is duration of compulsory education in Afghanistan?
- Duration of compulsory education in Afghanistan was 9 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest duration of compulsory education recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 9 in 2008.
- What is the lowest duration of compulsory education recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 6 in 1998.
- How does Afghanistan rank for duration of compulsory education?
- Afghanistan ranks 120th out of 205 countries with data for 2025.
- Is duration of compulsory education rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Duration of compulsory education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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