School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes (years) (life both) in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes (years) (life both) was 3.58 years in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
3.58 years
World rank
170th
of 214 countries
All-time high
3.58 years
in 2023
All-time low
0.5019 years
in 1970
Years of data
40
1970–2023
School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in Afghanistan, 1970–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
Afghanistan recorded 3.58 years for school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in 2023. That is the highest value across all 40 years on record.
The figure is up 6.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in Afghanistan peaked at 3.58 years in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.5019 years, in 1970.
Afghanistan ranks 170th of 214 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes (years) (life both) in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 0.5019 years | — |
| 1971 | 0.5627 years | +12.1% |
| 1972 | 0.6249 years | +11.0% |
| 1973 | 0.6559 years | +5.0% |
| 1974 | 0.6931 years | +5.7% |
| 1975 | 0.6957 years | +0.4% |
| 1976 | 0.7475 years | +7.4% |
| 1977 | 0.7956 years | +6.4% |
| 1978 | 0.8293 years | +4.2% |
| 1980 | 1 years | +21.1% |
| 1981 | 1.21 years | +20.1% |
| 1982 | 0.7377 years | -38.8% |
| 1984 | 0.819 years | +11.0% |
| 1985 | 0.8098 years | -1.1% |
| 1986 | 0.7283 years | -10.1% |
| 1988 | 0.7928 years | +8.9% |
| 1989 | 0.7609 years | -4.0% |
| 1990 | 0.6624 years | -12.9% |
| 1991 | 1.03 years | +55.7% |
| 1993 | 1.05 years | +1.4% |
| 1994 | 1.41 years | +34.7% |
| 1995 | 1.38 years | -1.8% |
| 2001 | 0.8424 years | -39.1% |
| 2003 | 0.8376 years | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 1.15 years | +37.6% |
| 2005 | 1.22 years | +5.5% |
| 2006 | 1.77 years | +45.6% |
| 2007 | 1.72 years | -3.0% |
| 2008 | 2.34 years | +36.0% |
| 2009 | 2.66 years | +13.8% |
| 2010 | 3.03 years | +13.9% |
| 2011 | 3.15 years | +4.0% |
| 2012 | 3.26 years | +3.7% |
| 2013 | 3.36 years | +3.0% |
| 2014 | 3.3 years | -1.9% |
| 2015 | 3.22 years | -2.3% |
| 2016 | 3.21 years | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 3.33 years | +3.9% |
| 2018 | 3.44 years | +3.3% |
| 2023 | 3.58 years | +3.9% |
Afghanistan compared with similar countries
- Afghanistan's 3.58 years is above the median for low income countries, which is 2.3 years, 1.6× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Afghanistan's 3.58 years is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 5.81 years, 62% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.6785 years | 0.5019 years | 0.8293 years | 9 |
| 1980s | 0.8572 years | 0.7283 years | 1.21 years | 8 |
| 1990s | 1.11 years | 0.6624 years | 1.41 years | 5 |
| 2000s | 1.57 years | 0.8376 years | 2.66 years | 8 |
| 2010s | 3.25 years | 3.03 years | 3.44 years | 9 |
| 2020s | 3.58 years | 3.58 years | 3.58 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, secondary, both sexes in Afghanistan?
- School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in Afghanistan was 3.58 years in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 3.58 years in 2023.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.5019 years in 1970.
- How does Afghanistan rank for school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes?
- Afghanistan ranks 170th out of 214 countries with data for 2023.
- Is school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.5%. 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, secondary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 40 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release