Male university enrolment in Afghanistan falls by a third since 2020
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Voanews
Afghan public and private universities had about 208,000 students in 2026, all men, compared with nearly 430,000 students in 2020, including 124,000 women. Male enrolment has fallen by nearly a third and women remain excluded from higher education for the third consecutive year, according to a UN report.
Enrolment at public and private universities in Afghanistan reached about 208,000 students in 2026, all men, compared with nearly 430,000 students in 2020, including 124,000 women. The decline is therefore close to one-third since the Taliban took power, according to a new United Nations report cited by Voice of America.
Women remain excluded from university education for the third consecutive year. The Taliban banned them from universities in December 2022, then from medical training institutes in December 2024, including programmes for nursing and midwifery qualifications.
The UN report also records a decline in university staff and continuing financial difficulties for private institutions. The Taliban authorities have introduced new oral examinations on religious topics, dress rules and the removal of hundreds of books, as well as more than a dozen subjects covering human rights, democracy, gender and governance.
Farid, a student in Kabul whose full name is withheld for security reasons, told VOA that limited career prospects and economic difficulties were deterring many students from continuing their studies. He cited, in particular, the daily cost of transport and concerns about employment after graduation.
