School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes (years) (both sexes) in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes (years) (both sexes) was 0.5427 years in 2020. ◆ Volatile
School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in Afghanistan, 1970–2020
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
Afghanistan recorded 0.5427 years for school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in 2020. That is the highest value across all 21 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 8.6% on the previous year and up 175.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in Afghanistan peaked at 0.5427 years in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.0385 years, in 1970.
That places Afghanistan 165th out of 196 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes (years) (both sexes) in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 0.0385 years | — |
| 1971 | 0.0464 years | +20.6% |
| 1972 | 0.048 years | +3.4% |
| 1973 | 0.0552 years | +15.1% |
| 1974 | 0.0516 years | -6.6% |
| 1975 | 0.0561 years | +8.8% |
| 1976 | 0.0635 years | +13.0% |
| 1977 | 0.0704 years | +11.0% |
| 1978 | 0.09 years | +27.8% |
| 1979 | 0.0959 years | +6.6% |
| 1982 | 0.1008 years | +5.1% |
| 1986 | 0.1095 years | +8.6% |
| 1987 | 0.0857 years | -21.7% |
| 1990 | 0.1108 years | +29.2% |
| 2003 | 0.0687 years | -38.0% |
| 2004 | 0.0695 years | +1.2% |
| 2009 | 0.1969 years | +183.2% |
| 2011 | 0.1843 years | -6.4% |
| 2014 | 0.4199 years | +127.8% |
| 2018 | 0.4998 years | +19.0% |
| 2020 | 0.5427 years | +8.6% |
Afghanistan compared with similar countries
- Afghanistan's 0.5427 years is above the median for low income countries, which is 0.3433 years, 1.6× the median. (22 countries reporting)
- Afghanistan's 0.5427 years is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 2.31 years, 23% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes (years) (both sexes) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | +183.2% | 0.0695 years | 0.1969 years |
| 2014 | +127.8% | 0.1843 years | 0.4199 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.0616 years | 0.0385 years | 0.0959 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.0987 years | 0.0857 years | 0.1095 years | 3 |
| 1990s | 0.1108 years | 0.1108 years | 0.1108 years | 1 |
| 2000s | 0.1117 years | 0.0687 years | 0.1969 years | 3 |
| 2010s | 0.368 years | 0.1843 years | 0.4998 years | 3 |
| 2020s | 0.5427 years | 0.5427 years | 0.5427 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, tertiary, both sexes in Afghanistan?
- School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in Afghanistan was 0.5427 years in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 0.5427 years in 2020.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0385 years in 1970.
- How does Afghanistan rank for school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes?
- Afghanistan ranks 165th out of 196 countries with data for 2020.
- Is school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 175.6%. 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, tertiary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 21 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release