Afghanistan could lose more than 25,000 female teachers and health workers by 2030 if restrictions on girls’ education and women’s employment continue, the United Nations Children’s Fund has warned.

UNICEF said in a new analysis that the restrictions are already depriving children of education and healthcare, while weakening Afghanistan’s economy and essential services.

According to UNICEF’s analysis, The Cost of Inaction on Girls’ Education and Women’s Labour Force Participation in Afghanistan, female representation in the civil service fell from 21% to 17.7% between 2023 and 2025.

Millions of girls denied education

The agency said more than one million girls have been denied their right to learn since girls were banned from secondary education in September 2021.

If the ban remains in place until 2030, more than two million girls will have been deprived of education beyond primary school, according to UNICEF.

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said Afghanistan cannot afford to lose women professionals who are essential to the country’s future.

“Afghanistan cannot afford to lose future teachers, nurses, doctors, midwives, and social workers, who sustain essential services. This will be the reality if girls continue to be excluded from education,” Russell said.

Dual crisis for economy and services

The report said Afghanistan faces a dual crisis, as it is losing trained women professionals while preventing the next generation from replacing them.

By 2030, Afghanistan could lose up to 20,000 women teachers and 5,400 healthcare workers, according to UNICEF.

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The education sector is already feeling the impact. UNICEF said the number of female teachers in basic education fell by more than 9%, from nearly 73,000 in 2022 to around 66,000 in 2024.

The agency warned the decline could especially affect girls, who are more likely to attend and remain in school when women teachers are present.

Health services at risk

UNICEF said fewer female health workers would also reduce access to maternal, newborn and child health services, as social norms often prevent women from receiving medical care from men.

Russell said denying girls secondary education damages the country’s future.

“Denying Afghan girls access to secondary education robs an entire nation of its potential - locking girls, their families and their communities into poverty, weakening health outcomes and silencing the economic engine that an educated generation of women could ignite,” she said.

Economic losses mount

Restrictions on girls’ and women’s education and work are costing Afghanistan $84 million each year in lost economic output, according to UNICEF.

Afghan officials have not yet publicly responded to the new analysis. AnewZ contacted an Afghan spokesperson for comment, but had not received a response at the time of publication.

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