School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, male (years) (male) in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, male (years) (male) was 12.98 years in 2018. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, male in Afghanistan, 1970–2018
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2018, school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, male in Afghanistan stood at 12.98 years. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 16.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, male in Afghanistan peaked at 12.98 years in 2018 and was at its lowest, 3.25 years, in 1986.
Afghanistan ranks 101st of 179 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, male (years) (male) in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 4.15 years | — |
| 1972 | 4.53 years | +9.3% |
| 1973 | 4.61 years | +1.7% |
| 1974 | 4.85 years | +5.2% |
| 1975 | 4.81 years | -0.8% |
| 1976 | 4.97 years | +3.3% |
| 1977 | 5.07 years | +2.2% |
| 1978 | 5.26 years | +3.6% |
| 1986 | 3.25 years | -38.2% |
| 2003 | 8.65 years | +166.2% |
| 2004 | 10.77 years | +24.6% |
| 2009 | 11.14 years | +3.4% |
| 2011 | 11.56 years | +3.8% |
| 2014 | 12.83 years | +11.0% |
| 2018 | 12.98 years | +1.2% |
Afghanistan compared with similar countries
- Afghanistan's 12.98 years is above the median for low income countries, which is 8.48 years, 1.5× the median. (20 countries reporting)
- Afghanistan's 12.98 years is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 13.03 years, 100% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, male (years) (male) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | +166.2% | 3.25 years | 8.65 years |
| 1986 | -38.2% | 5.26 years | 3.25 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.78 years | 4.15 years | 5.26 years | 8 |
| 1980s | 3.25 years | 3.25 years | 3.25 years | 1 |
| 2000s | 10.19 years | 8.65 years | 11.14 years | 3 |
| 2010s | 12.46 years | 11.56 years | 12.98 years | 3 |
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 to tertiary, male in Afghanistan?
- School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, male in Afghanistan was 12.98 years in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, male recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 12.98 years in 2018.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, male recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.25 years in 1986.
- How does Afghanistan rank for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, male?
- Afghanistan ranks 101st out of 179 countries with data for 2018.
- Is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, male rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.5%. 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 life expectancy, primary to tertiary, male (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release