Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary … lower both in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary … lower both was 15.3% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
15.3%
Change on year
up 31.9%
World rank
128th
of 135 countries
All-time high
16.0%
in 2017
All-time low
4.1%
in 1975
Years of data
8
1975–2022
Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in Afghanistan, 1975–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Afghanistan recorded 15.3% for educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in 2022.
The figure is up 31.9% on the previous year and up 39.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in Afghanistan peaked at 16.0% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 4.1%, in 1975.
That places Afghanistan 128th out of 135 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary … lower both in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 4.1% | — |
| 1979 | 4.1% | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 11.0% | +164.8% |
| 2015 | 13.1% | +19.5% |
| 2017 | 16.0% | +21.9% |
| 2020 | 14.4% | -9.7% |
| 2021 | 11.6% | -19.5% |
| 2022 | 15.3% | +31.9% |
Afghanistan compared with similar countries
- Afghanistan's 15.3% is below the median for low income countries, which is 18.4%, 83% of the median. (14 countries reporting)
- Afghanistan's 15.3% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 69.5%, 22% of the median. (15 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.1% | 4.1% | 4.1% | 2 |
| 2010s | 13.4% | 11.0% | 16.0% | 3 |
| 2020s | 13.8% | 11.6% | 15.3% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Afghanistan
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 educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in Afghanistan?
- Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in Afghanistan was 15.3% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 16.0% in 2017.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.1% in 1975.
- How does Afghanistan rank for educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or?
- Afghanistan ranks 128th out of 135 countries with data for 2022.
- Is educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 39.7%. 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 Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or higher, population 25+ years, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 8 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release