Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
UNICEF analysis warns Afghanistan risks losing up to 25,000 women teachers and health workers due to continued restrictions on girls’ education and women’s participation in the workforce. Female representation in the civil service dropped from 21% to 17.7% between 2023 and 2025, indicating a decline in essential trained women professionals.
Since the Taliban banned secondary education for girls in September 2021, over one million girls have been barred from schooling beyond primary level. If the ban continues through 2030, more than two million girls could miss secondary education, further impacting Afghanistan’s already low female literacy rates.
The report warns that losing current female professionals, coupled with fewer educated women entering the workforce, threatens key services. By 2030, Afghanistan could lose up to 20,000 women teachers and 5,400 health workers, reducing access to education and healthcare—especially for women and children who often depend on female providers due to social norms.
The number of female teachers in basic education dropped by over 9%, from nearly 73,000 in 2022 to about 66,000 in 2024, which may further decrease girls’ school attendance and retention. The healthcare sector may also suffer significant setbacks as fewer female health workers provide maternal, newborn, and child health services.
In addition, restrictions on girls’ and women’s education and work are estimated to cost Afghanistan $84 million annually in lost economic output. UNICEF continues to support more than 3.7 million children in public schools and invests in community-based learning, benefiting hundreds of thousands of children—most of them girls.