Population of compulsory school age, female (number) (compulsory) in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Population of compulsory school age, female (number) (compulsory) was 4.94 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Population of compulsory school age, female in Afghanistan, 1998–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population of compulsory school age, female in Afghanistan is 4.94 million, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.4% on the previous year and up 20.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population of compulsory school age, female in Afghanistan peaked at 4.94 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1.55 million, in 1998.
Afghanistan ranks 23rd of 197 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Population of compulsory school age, female (number) (compulsory) in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 1.55 million | — |
| 1999 | 1.63 million | +4.9% |
| 2000 | 1.71 million | +4.8% |
| 2001 | 1.71 million | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 1.78 million | +4.0% |
| 2003 | 1.94 million | +9.1% |
| 2004 | 2.05 million | +5.9% |
| 2005 | 2.12 million | +3.3% |
| 2006 | 2.23 million | +5.1% |
| 2007 | 2.32 million | +4.0% |
| 2008 | 3.29 million | +41.9% |
| 2009 | 3.44 million | +4.5% |
| 2010 | 3.55 million | +3.2% |
| 2011 | 3.63 million | +2.5% |
| 2012 | 3.78 million | +4.1% |
| 2013 | 3.89 million | +2.8% |
| 2014 | 3.99 million | +2.4% |
| 2015 | 4.10 million | +2.9% |
| 2016 | 4.16 million | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 4.23 million | +1.7% |
| 2018 | 4.31 million | +1.9% |
| 2019 | 4.40 million | +2.1% |
| 2020 | 4.50 million | +2.3% |
| 2021 | 4.63 million | +2.7% |
| 2022 | 4.67 million | +1.0% |
| 2023 | 4.71 million | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 4.82 million | +2.4% |
| 2025 | 4.94 million | +2.4% |
Afghanistan compared with similar countries
- Afghanistan's 4.94 million is above the median for low income countries, which is 2.12 million, 2.3× the median. (22 countries reporting)
- Afghanistan's 4.94 million is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 1.11 million, 4.5× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Population of compulsory school age, female (number) (compulsory) in Afghanistan changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | +41.9% | 2.32 million | 3.29 million |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.59 million | 1.55 million | 1.63 million | 2 |
| 2000s | 2.26 million | 1.71 million | 3.44 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.00 million | 3.55 million | 4.40 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.71 million | 4.50 million | 4.94 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Afghanistan
More education data for Afghanistan
- 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)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population of compulsory school age, female in Afghanistan?
- Population of compulsory school age, female in Afghanistan was 4.94 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest population of compulsory school age, female recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 4.94 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest population of compulsory school age, female recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.55 million in 1998.
- How does Afghanistan rank for population of compulsory school age, female?
- Afghanistan ranks 23rd out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population of compulsory school age, female rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.4%. 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 Population of compulsory school age, female (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release