Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, adjusted gender parity index in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, adjusted gender parity index was 0.27 GPIA in 2021. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, adjusted gender parity index in Afghanistan, 1979–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in GPIA.
Analysis
In 2021, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, adjusted gender parity index in Afghanistan stood at 0.27 GPIA. That is the highest value across all 5 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.4% on the previous year and up 22.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, adjusted gender parity index in Afghanistan peaked at 0.27 GPIA in 2021 and was at its lowest, 0.11 GPIA, in 1979.
That places Afghanistan 87th out of 87 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, adjusted gender parity index in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | GPIA | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 0.11 GPIA | — |
| 2011 | 0.22 GPIA | +100.0% |
| 2015 | 0.21 GPIA | -4.5% |
| 2020 | 0.2662 GPIA | +26.8% |
| 2021 | 0.27 GPIA | +1.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.11 GPIA | 0.11 GPIA | 0.11 GPIA | 1 |
| 2010s | 0.215 GPIA | 0.21 GPIA | 0.22 GPIA | 2 |
| 2020s | 0.2681 GPIA | 0.2662 GPIA | 0.27 GPIA | 2 |
Countries ranked near Afghanistan
More education data for Afghanistan
- 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)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 7.51 million (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 3.56 % change on previous year (2019)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, adjusted gender parity index in Afghanistan?
- Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, adjusted gender parity index in Afghanistan was 0.27 GPIA in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, adjusted gender parity index recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 0.27 GPIA in 2021.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, adjusted gender parity index recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.11 GPIA in 1979.
- How does Afghanistan rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, adjusted gender parity index?
- Afghanistan ranks 87th out of 87 countries with data for 2021.
- Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, adjusted gender parity index rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 22.7%. 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 Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, adjusted gender parity index (GPIA). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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