School life expectancy, primary, female (years) (life female years) in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: School life expectancy, primary, female (years) (life female years) was 5.87 years in 2023. ◆ Volatile
School life expectancy, primary, female in Afghanistan, 1970–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2023, school life expectancy, primary, female in Afghanistan stood at 5.87 years. That is the highest value across all 42 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 9.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary, female in Afghanistan peaked at 5.87 years in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.2359 years, in 1999.
Afghanistan ranks 103rd of 215 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
School life expectancy, primary, female (years) (life female years) in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 0.5419 years | — |
| 1971 | 0.5438 years | +0.4% |
| 1972 | 0.5615 years | +3.3% |
| 1973 | 0.5916 years | +5.3% |
| 1974 | 0.6043 years | +2.2% |
| 1975 | 0.6379 years | +5.6% |
| 1976 | 0.6712 years | +5.2% |
| 1977 | 0.7126 years | +6.2% |
| 1978 | 0.7556 years | +6.0% |
| 1980 | 0.9649 years | +27.7% |
| 1981 | 1.11 years | +15.5% |
| 1982 | 0.7957 years | -28.6% |
| 1984 | 0.9327 years | +17.2% |
| 1985 | 0.9645 years | +3.4% |
| 1986 | 1.1 years | +14.5% |
| 1988 | 1.34 years | +21.3% |
| 1989 | 1.3 years | -3.3% |
| 1990 | 1.29 years | -0.5% |
| 1991 | 1.31 years | +1.5% |
| 1993 | 1.04 years | -20.9% |
| 1994 | 1.74 years | +67.7% |
| 1995 | 1.87 years | +7.6% |
| 1999 | 0.2359 years | -87.4% |
| 2002 | 2.8 years | +1085.9% |
| 2003 | 4.07 years | +45.4% |
| 2004 | 3.77 years | -7.3% |
| 2005 | 4.36 years | +15.6% |
| 2006 | 4.68 years | +7.3% |
| 2007 | 4.64 years | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 4.86 years | +4.7% |
| 2009 | 4.73 years | -2.5% |
| 2010 | 5.01 years | +5.9% |
| 2011 | 5.06 years | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 5.35 years | +5.6% |
| 2013 | 5.34 years | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 5.41 years | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 5.19 years | -4.2% |
| 2016 | 5.19 years | -0.0% |
| 2017 | 5.17 years | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 5.17 years | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 5.24 years | +1.3% |
| 2023 | 5.87 years | +11.9% |
Afghanistan compared with similar countries
- Afghanistan's 5.87 years is above the median for low income countries, which is 5.11 years, 1.1× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Afghanistan's 5.87 years is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 5.81 years, 1.0× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where School life expectancy, primary, female (years) (life female years) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | +1085.9% | 0.2359 years | 2.8 years |
| 1999 | -87.4% | 1.87 years | 0.2359 years |
| 1994 | +67.7% | 1.04 years | 1.74 years |
| 2003 | +45.4% | 2.8 years | 4.07 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.6245 years | 0.5419 years | 0.7556 years | 9 |
| 1980s | 1.06 years | 0.7957 years | 1.34 years | 8 |
| 1990s | 1.25 years | 0.2359 years | 1.87 years | 6 |
| 2000s | 4.24 years | 2.8 years | 4.86 years | 8 |
| 2010s | 5.21 years | 5.01 years | 5.41 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.87 years | 5.87 years | 5.87 years | 1 |
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 life expectancy, primary, female in Afghanistan?
- School life expectancy, primary, female in Afghanistan was 5.87 years in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary, female recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 5.87 years in 2023.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary, female recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2359 years in 1999.
- How does Afghanistan rank for school life expectancy, primary, female?
- Afghanistan ranks 103rd out of 215 countries with data for 2023.
- Is school life expectancy, primary, female rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.9%. 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 life expectancy, primary, female (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 42 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release