Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female was 15.9% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Afghanistan, 1979–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2022, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Afghanistan stood at 15.9%. That is the highest value across all 6 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 36.7% on the previous year and up 89.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Afghanistan peaked at 15.9% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 2.6%, in 1979.
Afghanistan ranks 87th of 88 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 2.6% | — |
| 2011 | 8.4% | +228.5% |
| 2015 | 9.7% | +15.0% |
| 2020 | 11.1% | +15.3% |
| 2021 | 11.7% | +4.6% |
| 2022 | 15.9% | +36.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.6% | 2.6% | 2.6% | 1 |
| 2010s | 9.0% | 8.4% | 9.7% | 2 |
| 2020s | 12.9% | 11.1% | 15.9% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Afghanistan
More education data for Afghanistan
- 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)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), per unit of GDP 0.0004 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), per capita 0.1811 units per person (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 3.20 million (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Afghanistan?
- Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Afghanistan was 15.9% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 15.9% in 2022.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.6% in 1979.
- How does Afghanistan rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female?
- Afghanistan ranks 87th out of 88 countries with data for 2022.
- Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 89.5%. 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, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 6 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release