Literacy in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Literacy was 37.27 in 2021. ▲ Rising
Latest (2021)
37.27
Change on year
up 3.5%
World rank
86th
of 89 countries
All-time high
37.27
in 2021
All-time low
18.16
in 1979
Years of data
5
1979–2021
Literacy in Afghanistan, 1979–2021
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2021, literacy in Afghanistan stood at 37.27. That is the highest value across all 5 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.5% on the previous year and up 18.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy in Afghanistan peaked at 37.27 in 2021 and was at its lowest, 18.16, in 1979.
That places Afghanistan 86th out of 89 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Literacy in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 18.16 | — |
| 2011 | 31.45 | +73.2% |
| 2015 | 33.75 | +7.3% |
| 2020 | 36.02 | +6.7% |
| 2021 | 37.27 | +3.5% |
Afghanistan compared with similar countries
- Afghanistan's 37.27 is below the median for low income countries, which is 60.46, 62% of the median. (13 countries reporting)
- Afghanistan's 37.27 is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 94.44, 39% of the median. (15 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 18.16 | 18.16 | 18.16 | 1 |
| 2010s | 32.6 | 31.45 | 33.75 | 2 |
| 2020s | 36.64 | 36.02 | 37.27 | 2 |
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 literacy in Afghanistan?
- Literacy in Afghanistan was 37.27 in 2021, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literacy recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 37.27 in 2021.
- What is the lowest literacy recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.16 in 1979.
- How does Afghanistan rank for literacy?
- Afghanistan ranks 86th out of 89 countries with data for 2021.
- Is literacy rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.5%. 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 Literacy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 5 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).