Literacy rate in Afghanistan in 2021 — 37.27%. Ranked 43 in the world out of 44. Since 1979, the indicator has risen by 19.11 pp.
1979–2021 · % of population aged 15+
How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: Afghanistan
| Year | % | Change, pp |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 37.27 | +1.26 pp |
| 2020 | 36.01 | — |
| 2015 | 33.75 | — |
| 2011 | 31.45 | — |
| 1979 | 18.16 | — |
The same indicator for neighboring countries — with links to their pages
The share of the population aged 15 and older able to read and write a short simple statement about their everyday life. The UNESCO definition is deliberately minimal — it is the threshold of functional literacy, not an assessment of the quality of education. In most countries the data come from censuses and surveys, so they are updated irregularly.
Important: The series is incomplete: values are published only for the years in which a census or a literacy survey was conducted.
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), license CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO.
What share of their potential a child born today will manage to realize.
Education Population with tertiary educationWhat share of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Education Primary completion rateWhat share of children reach the last grade of primary school.
Education Primary school enrollmentThe net enrollment rate: the share of children of school age attending primary school.
