Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education was 15.6% in 1993. ◆ Volatile
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Afghanistan, 1820–1993
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Afghanistan is 15.6%, measured in 1993. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of up 42.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Afghanistan peaked at 15.6% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1820.
That places Afghanistan 189th out of 190 countries with data for 1993, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1830s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1840s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1850s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1860s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1870s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1880s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1890s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1900s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1910s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1920s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1930s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1940s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1950s | 0.6% | 0.3% | 0.9% | 2 |
| 1960s | 3.1% | 1.8% | 4.4% | 2 |
| 1970s | 7.6% | 7.0% | 8.7% | 3 |
| 1980s | 11.0% | 11.0% | 11.0% | 1 |
| 1990s | 15.6% | 15.6% | 15.6% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Afghanistan
- 186 Equatorial Guinea 34.8% compare
- 187 Tokelau 34.1% compare
- 188 Democratic Republic of Congo 33.7% compare
- 190 Somalia 11.2% compare
More education data for Afghanistan
- Duration of pre-primary education 1 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 6 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 55.0% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 42.6% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 13 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 7 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 112.2% (2023)
- Primary education, teachers 163,167 (2023)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 4.76 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 97.9% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Afghanistan?
- Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Afghanistan was 15.6% in 1993, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 15.6% in 1993.
- What is the lowest gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1820.
- How does Afghanistan rank for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education?
- Afghanistan ranks 189th out of 190 countries with data for 1993.
- Is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 42.1%. 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 (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The share of girls of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.