More than 2.6 million girls in Afghanistan have been denied a secondary education since 2021

Country: Afghanistan Source: UN Children's Fund NEW YORK, 14 August 2026 – More than 2.6 million girls in Afghanistan have been denied a secondary education in the five years since the de facto authorities took power, UNICEF said today. Afghanistan remains the only country in the world where secondary and higher education is effectively closed to girls and women. Girls have been barred from formal education beyond grade six since September 2021, and women from universities since December 2022.