School age population, upper secondary education, both sexes in Afghanistan

Afghanistan: School age population, upper secondary education, both sexes was 2.78 million number in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
2.78 million number
Change on year
up 2.4%
World rank
23rd
of 205 countries
All-time high
2.78 million number
in 2020
All-time low
660,821 number
in 1970
Years of data
51
1970–2020

School age population, upper secondary education, both sexes in Afghanistan, 1970–2020

500.0k1.0M1.5M2.0M2.5M3.0M197019952020

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

The most recent figure for school age population, upper secondary education, both sexes in Afghanistan is 2.78 million number, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 51 years on record.

That represents a change of up 2.4% on the previous year and up 50.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, school age population, upper secondary education, both sexes in Afghanistan peaked at 2.78 million number in 2020 and was at its lowest, 660,821 number, in 1970.

Afghanistan ranks 23rd of 205 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.

School age population, upper secondary education, both sexes in Afghanistan, year by year

Annual values for School age population, upper secondary education, both sexes (number) in Afghanistan, 1970 to 2020.
Year number Change
1970 660,821 number
1971 677,393 number +2.5%
1972 699,037 number +3.2%
1973 723,465 number +3.5%
1974 747,837 number +3.4%
1975 770,930 number +3.1%
1976 787,791 number +2.2%
1977 803,087 number +1.9%
1978 815,913 number +1.6%
1979 824,005 number +1.0%
1980 826,103 number +0.3%
1981 812,596 number -1.6%
1982 794,061 number -2.3%
1983 773,923 number -2.5%
1984 755,361 number -2.4%
1985 740,856 number -1.9%
1986 728,891 number -1.6%
1987 723,626 number -0.7%
1988 728,730 number +0.7%
1989 748,183 number +2.7%
1990 783,680 number +4.7%
1991 844,114 number +7.7%
1992 923,522 number +9.4%
1993 1.01 million number +9.5%
1994 1.09 million number +8.1%
1995 1.16 million number +6.3%
1996 1.20 million number +3.3%
1997 1.22 million number +2.0%
1998 1.25 million number +1.7%
1999 1.27 million number +2.3%
2000 1.31 million number +3.3%
2001 1.38 million number +5.0%
2002 1.46 million number +5.4%
2003 1.53 million number +5.4%
2004 1.61 million number +4.7%
2005 1.67 million number +3.8%
2006 1.69 million number +1.4%
2007 1.71 million number +1.3%
2008 1.74 million number +1.6%
2009 1.78 million number +2.5%
2010 1.85 million number +3.9%
2011 1.96 million number +6.0%
2012 2.09 million number +6.4%
2013 2.22 million number +6.2%
2014 2.34 million number +5.5%
2015 2.45 million number +4.5%
2016 2.52 million number +3.2%
2017 2.59 million number +2.6%
2018 2.65 million number +2.4%
2019 2.71 million number +2.3%
2020 2.78 million number +2.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 751,028 number 660,821 number 824,005 number 10
1980s 763,233 number 723,626 number 826,103 number 10
1990s 1.08 million number 783,680 number 1.27 million number 10
2000s 1.59 million number 1.31 million number 1.78 million number 10
2010s 2.34 million number 1.85 million number 2.71 million number 10
2020s 2.78 million number 2.78 million number 2.78 million number 1

Countries ranked near Afghanistan

  1. 20 Sudan 2.89 million number compare
  2. 21 Italy 2.87 million number compare
  3. 22 Russian Federation 2.79 million number compare
  4. 24 Thailand 2.62 million number compare
  5. 25 France 2.50 million number compare
  6. 26 Nepal 2.50 million number compare

See the full ranking of 250 places →

More education data for Afghanistan

All data for Afghanistan →

Frequently asked questions

What is school age population, upper secondary education, both sexes in Afghanistan?
School age population, upper secondary education, both sexes in Afghanistan was 2.78 million number in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest school age population, upper secondary education, both sexes recorded in Afghanistan?
The highest recorded value was 2.78 million number in 2020.
What is the lowest school age population, upper secondary education, both sexes recorded in Afghanistan?
The lowest recorded value was 660,821 number in 1970.
How does Afghanistan rank for school age population, upper secondary education, both sexes?
Afghanistan ranks 23rd out of 205 countries with data for 2020.
Is school age population, upper secondary education, both sexes rising or falling in Afghanistan?
Over the last ten years it is up 50.0%. 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 School age population, upper secondary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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School age population, upper secondary education, both sexes in Afghanistan. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 29 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/school-age-population-upper-secondary-education-both-sexes-number/afghanistan/

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About this data

Indicator
School age population, upper secondary education, both sexes (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
250 places, 12,264 data points, 1970–2020
Last refreshed

Population of the age-group theoretically corresponding to upper secondary education as indicated by theoretical entrance age and duration.