School age population, tertiary education, male (number) (age male) in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: School age population, tertiary education, male (number) (age male) was 2.26 million in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
2.26 million
Change on year
up 2.1%
World rank
25th
of 221 countries
All-time high
2.26 million
in 2025
All-time low
481,205
in 1983
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School age population, tertiary education, male in Afghanistan, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2025, school age population, tertiary education, male in Afghanistan stood at 2.26 million. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.1% on the previous year and up 33.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, tertiary education, male in Afghanistan peaked at 2.26 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 481,205, in 1983.
Afghanistan ranks 25th of 221 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
School age population, tertiary education, male (number) (age male) in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 502,401 | — |
| 1971 | 507,517 | +1.0% |
| 1972 | 514,196 | +1.3% |
| 1973 | 526,126 | +2.3% |
| 1974 | 538,916 | +2.4% |
| 1975 | 554,087 | +2.8% |
| 1976 | 568,783 | +2.7% |
| 1977 | 582,185 | +2.4% |
| 1978 | 596,204 | +2.4% |
| 1979 | 608,096 | +2.0% |
| 1980 | 600,816 | -1.2% |
| 1981 | 564,941 | -6.0% |
| 1982 | 492,138 | -12.9% |
| 1983 | 481,205 | -2.2% |
| 1984 | 485,323 | +0.9% |
| 1985 | 503,824 | +3.8% |
| 1986 | 504,291 | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 505,663 | +0.3% |
| 1988 | 507,567 | +0.4% |
| 1989 | 525,670 | +3.6% |
| 1990 | 547,827 | +4.2% |
| 1991 | 548,958 | +0.2% |
| 1992 | 571,288 | +4.1% |
| 1993 | 647,170 | +13.3% |
| 1994 | 726,770 | +12.3% |
| 1995 | 768,638 | +5.8% |
| 1996 | 799,563 | +4.0% |
| 1997 | 828,501 | +3.6% |
| 1998 | 855,338 | +3.2% |
| 1999 | 881,935 | +3.1% |
| 2000 | 909,383 | +3.1% |
| 2001 | 890,834 | -2.0% |
| 2002 | 906,789 | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 971,859 | +7.2% |
| 2004 | 1.01 million | +4.2% |
| 2005 | 1.04 million | +2.4% |
| 2006 | 1.09 million | +5.3% |
| 2007 | 1.14 million | +4.8% |
| 2008 | 1.16 million | +1.6% |
| 2009 | 1.23 million | +5.9% |
| 2010 | 1.29 million | +4.8% |
| 2011 | 1.35 million | +4.4% |
| 2012 | 1.44 million | +6.6% |
| 2013 | 1.52 million | +5.5% |
| 2014 | 1.60 million | +5.3% |
| 2015 | 1.69 million | +5.8% |
| 2016 | 1.76 million | +3.9% |
| 2017 | 1.83 million | +4.0% |
| 2018 | 1.89 million | +3.6% |
| 2019 | 1.96 million | +3.5% |
| 2020 | 2.02 million | +3.5% |
| 2021 | 2.10 million | +3.6% |
| 2022 | 2.13 million | +1.6% |
| 2023 | 2.16 million | +1.4% |
| 2024 | 2.21 million | +2.5% |
| 2025 | 2.26 million | +2.1% |
Afghanistan compared with similar countries
- Afghanistan's 2.26 million is above the median for low income countries, which is 1.16 million, 1.9× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Afghanistan's 2.26 million is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 425,539, 5.3× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 549,851 | 502,401 | 608,096 | 10 |
| 1980s | 517,144 | 481,205 | 600,816 | 10 |
| 1990s | 717,599 | 547,827 | 881,935 | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.04 million | 890,834 | 1.23 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.63 million | 1.29 million | 1.96 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.15 million | 2.02 million | 2.26 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 school age population, tertiary education, male in Afghanistan?
- School age population, tertiary education, male in Afghanistan was 2.26 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, tertiary education, male recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 2.26 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest school age population, tertiary education, male recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 481,205 in 1983.
- How does Afghanistan rank for school age population, tertiary education, male?
- Afghanistan ranks 25th out of 221 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, tertiary education, male rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 33.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School age population, tertiary education, male (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release