Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both was 1.23 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
1.23 million
Change on year
up 2.1%
World rank
22nd
of 222 countries
All-time high
1.23 million
in 2025
All-time low
310,228
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in Afghanistan, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2025, population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in Afghanistan stood at 1.23 million. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
The figure is up 2.1% on the previous year and up 21.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in Afghanistan peaked at 1.23 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 310,228, in 1970.
That places Afghanistan 22nd out of 222 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 310,228 | — |
| 1971 | 320,159 | +3.2% |
| 1972 | 329,732 | +3.0% |
| 1973 | 339,821 | +3.1% |
| 1974 | 350,869 | +3.3% |
| 1975 | 361,895 | +3.1% |
| 1976 | 372,777 | +3.0% |
| 1977 | 382,810 | +2.7% |
| 1978 | 392,359 | +2.5% |
| 1979 | 402,176 | +2.5% |
| 1980 | 399,383 | -0.7% |
| 1981 | 378,101 | -5.3% |
| 1982 | 331,655 | -12.3% |
| 1983 | 325,758 | -1.8% |
| 1984 | 329,831 | +1.3% |
| 1985 | 345,825 | +4.8% |
| 1986 | 346,619 | +0.2% |
| 1987 | 345,745 | -0.3% |
| 1988 | 345,840 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 350,493 | +1.3% |
| 1990 | 359,692 | +2.6% |
| 1991 | 356,921 | -0.8% |
| 1992 | 371,326 | +4.0% |
| 1993 | 426,938 | +15.0% |
| 1994 | 484,875 | +13.6% |
| 1995 | 516,787 | +6.6% |
| 1996 | 543,799 | +5.2% |
| 1997 | 569,623 | +4.7% |
| 1998 | 596,169 | +4.7% |
| 1999 | 628,261 | +5.4% |
| 2000 | 661,670 | +5.3% |
| 2001 | 662,816 | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 686,734 | +3.6% |
| 2003 | 743,996 | +8.3% |
| 2004 | 781,418 | +5.0% |
| 2005 | 800,780 | +2.5% |
| 2006 | 835,155 | +4.3% |
| 2007 | 865,424 | +3.6% |
| 2008 | 862,962 | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 893,528 | +3.5% |
| 2010 | 913,959 | +2.3% |
| 2011 | 924,445 | +1.1% |
| 2012 | 953,212 | +3.1% |
| 2013 | 972,473 | +2.0% |
| 2014 | 988,699 | +1.7% |
| 2015 | 1.01 million | +2.3% |
| 2016 | 1.03 million | +2.0% |
| 2017 | 1.05 million | +1.9% |
| 2018 | 1.08 million | +2.4% |
| 2019 | 1.11 million | +2.7% |
| 2020 | 1.13 million | +2.5% |
| 2021 | 1.17 million | +2.9% |
| 2022 | 1.18 million | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 1.18 million | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 1.21 million | +2.0% |
| 2025 | 1.23 million | +2.1% |
Afghanistan compared with similar countries
- Afghanistan's 1.23 million is above the median for low income countries, which is 621,871, 2.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Afghanistan's 1.23 million is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 202,992, 6.1× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 356,283 | 310,228 | 402,176 | 10 |
| 1980s | 349,925 | 325,758 | 399,383 | 10 |
| 1990s | 485,439 | 356,921 | 628,261 | 10 |
| 2000s | 779,448 | 661,670 | 893,528 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.00 million | 913,959 | 1.11 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.18 million | 1.13 million | 1.23 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 the official entrance age to primary education, both in Afghanistan?
- Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in Afghanistan was 1.23 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest population of the official entrance age to primary education, both recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 1.23 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest population of the official entrance age to primary education, both recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 310,228 in 1970.
- How does Afghanistan rank for population of the official entrance age to primary education, both?
- Afghanistan ranks 22nd out of 222 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population of the official entrance age to primary education, both rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 21.7%. 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 Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release