Population of the official entrance age to primary education, male in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Population of the official entrance age to primary education, male was 628,928 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
628,928
Change on year
up 2.0%
World rank
22nd
of 222 countries
All-time high
628,928
in 2025
All-time low
157,120
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
Population of the official entrance age to primary education, male in Afghanistan, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2025, population of the official entrance age to primary education, male in Afghanistan stood at 628,928. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.0% on the previous year and up 21.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population of the official entrance age to primary education, male in Afghanistan peaked at 628,928 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 157,120, in 1970.
Afghanistan ranks 22nd of 222 countries on this measure, 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, male in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 157,120 | — |
| 1971 | 162,172 | +3.2% |
| 1972 | 167,057 | +3.0% |
| 1973 | 172,200 | +3.1% |
| 1974 | 177,838 | +3.3% |
| 1975 | 183,498 | +3.2% |
| 1976 | 189,091 | +3.0% |
| 1977 | 194,223 | +2.7% |
| 1978 | 199,135 | +2.5% |
| 1979 | 204,192 | +2.5% |
| 1980 | 202,904 | -0.6% |
| 1981 | 192,214 | -5.3% |
| 1982 | 168,690 | -12.2% |
| 1983 | 165,763 | -1.7% |
| 1984 | 167,906 | +1.3% |
| 1985 | 176,155 | +4.9% |
| 1986 | 176,632 | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 176,248 | -0.2% |
| 1988 | 176,342 | +0.1% |
| 1989 | 178,707 | +1.3% |
| 1990 | 183,320 | +2.6% |
| 1991 | 181,841 | -0.8% |
| 1992 | 189,124 | +4.0% |
| 1993 | 217,580 | +15.0% |
| 1994 | 247,301 | +13.7% |
| 1995 | 263,621 | +6.6% |
| 1996 | 277,496 | +5.3% |
| 1997 | 290,719 | +4.8% |
| 1998 | 304,332 | +4.7% |
| 1999 | 320,855 | +5.4% |
| 2000 | 338,032 | +5.4% |
| 2001 | 338,741 | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 351,043 | +3.6% |
| 2003 | 380,325 | +8.3% |
| 2004 | 399,823 | +5.1% |
| 2005 | 410,086 | +2.6% |
| 2006 | 427,971 | +4.4% |
| 2007 | 444,024 | +3.8% |
| 2008 | 442,802 | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 458,583 | +3.6% |
| 2010 | 469,223 | +2.3% |
| 2011 | 474,502 | +1.1% |
| 2012 | 489,076 | +3.1% |
| 2013 | 498,934 | +2.0% |
| 2014 | 507,169 | +1.7% |
| 2015 | 518,630 | +2.3% |
| 2016 | 529,240 | +2.0% |
| 2017 | 539,239 | +1.9% |
| 2018 | 552,095 | +2.4% |
| 2019 | 566,663 | +2.6% |
| 2020 | 580,364 | +2.4% |
| 2021 | 596,749 | +2.8% |
| 2022 | 601,908 | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 604,439 | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 616,385 | +2.0% |
| 2025 | 628,928 | +2.0% |
Afghanistan compared with similar countries
- Afghanistan's 628,928 is above the median for low income countries, which is 315,446, 2.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Afghanistan's 628,928 is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 103,874, 6.1× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 180,653 | 157,120 | 204,192 | 10 |
| 1980s | 178,156 | 165,763 | 202,904 | 10 |
| 1990s | 247,619 | 181,841 | 320,855 | 10 |
| 2000s | 399,143 | 338,032 | 458,583 | 10 |
| 2010s | 514,477 | 469,223 | 566,663 | 10 |
| 2020s | 604,796 | 580,364 | 628,928 | 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, male in Afghanistan?
- Population of the official entrance age to primary education, male in Afghanistan was 628,928 in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest population of the official entrance age to primary education, male recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 628,928 in 2025.
- What is the lowest population of the official entrance age to primary education, male recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 157,120 in 1970.
- How does Afghanistan rank for population of the official entrance age to primary education, male?
- Afghanistan ranks 22nd out of 222 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population of the official entrance age to primary education, male rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 21.3%. 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, male (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release