> Source: https://coursetojob.com/countries/afghanistan/ — updated 2026-09-26 · language: en > Markdown version of this CourseToJob page for AI agents. The HTML page is canonical. Data licence CC BY 4.0: cite the page URL and the original statistical source. Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan # Graduate jobs and salaries in Afghanistan Updated September 26, 2026 Data years: 2020, 2021 [How we use data](https://coursetojob.com/methodology/) Older data (2020) The latest official figure is from 2020. It may not reflect today's labour market. Quick answer In Afghanistan, employees with tertiary education earned a median of AFN 13,000 a month in 2020 (PPP$ 823) — +27% compared with all employees. Their unemployment rate was 8.4%, against 4.5% for all adults aged 25 and over (2021). Sources: ILOSTAT (ILO) - **+27%** degree premium: tertiary-educated vs all employees (2020) - **AFN 13,000** median monthly pay with tertiary education (2020) - **8.4%** unemployment, tertiary-educated adults 25+ (all adults: 4.5%, 2021) - **14.6%** unemployment, tertiary-educated 15–24 year olds (2021) ## Do graduates earn more in Afghanistan? **Median monthly earnings by education level, Afghanistan, 2020Employees, median monthly earnings. PPP$ adjusts for price differences between countries.** | Education level | Local currency a month | PPP$ a month | vs all employees | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Less than basic education | AFN 10,000 | 633 | -2% | | Basic education | AFN 10,000 | 633 | -2% | | Intermediate education | AFN 10,000 | 633 | -2% | | Advanced (tertiary) education | AFN 13,000 | 823 | +27% | | Short-cycle tertiary | AFN 10,000 | 633 | -2% | | Bachelor's or equivalent | AFN 14,500 | 918 | +42% | | All levels | AFN 10,209 | 647 | — | The degree premium ranks 96 of 128 countries with data. That is below the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan median of +38%. ## Which occupations pay the most in Afghanistan? Median monthly earnings by occupation group in 2020, from highest to lowest. Examples link to our career profiles. | Occupation group | Local currency a month | PPP$ a month | vs all employees | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Managers [Construction manager](https://coursetojob.com/careers/construction-manager/), [Marketing manager](https://coursetojob.com/careers/marketing-manager/), [Project manager](https://coursetojob.com/careers/project-manager/), [Supply chain manager](https://coursetojob.com/careers/supply-chain-manager/) | AFN 15,000 | 950 | +47% | | Clerical support workers | AFN 12,000 | 760 | +17% | | Technicians and associate professionals [IT support technician](https://coursetojob.com/careers/it-support-technician/), [Paramedic](https://coursetojob.com/careers/paramedic/), [Biomedical scientist](https://coursetojob.com/careers/biomedical-scientist/), [Paralegal](https://coursetojob.com/careers/paralegal/) | AFN 9,996 | 633 | -2% | | Service and sales workers [Police officer](https://coursetojob.com/careers/police-officer/) | AFN 10,000 | 633 | -2% | | Plant and machine operators and assemblers | AFN 10,000 | 633 | -2% | | Professionals [Software developer](https://coursetojob.com/careers/software-developer/), [Web developer](https://coursetojob.com/careers/web-developer/), [Data scientist](https://coursetojob.com/careers/data-scientist/), [Data analyst](https://coursetojob.com/careers/data-analyst/) | AFN 8,155 | 517 | -20% | | Craft and related trades workers | AFN 8,000 | 507 | -22% | | Elementary occupations | AFN 8,000 | 507 | -22% | | Skilled agricultural, forestry and fishery workers | AFN 7,158 | 453 | -30% | | All occupations | AFN 10,209 | 647 | — | ## Are graduates less likely to be unemployed in Afghanistan? **Unemployment rate by education level, 2021** | Education level | Adults 25+ | Young people 15–24 | | --- | --- | --- | | Less than basic education | 3.8% | 7.5% | | Basic education | 5.8% | 6.3% | | Intermediate education | 5.9% | 16.3% | | Advanced (tertiary) education | 8.4% | 14.6% | | All levels | 4.5% | 8.8% | Unemployment among tertiary-educated adults is the 106 lowest of 130 countries with data. The Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan median is 9.8%. ### Unemployment over time, adults 25+ Advanced (tertiary) educationAll levels ## Studying and working in Afghanistan Rules on student visas, work after graduation and recognition of qualifications change often. Use the official sources below and check the date on any advice you read. [Guide: how to choose a country to study in](https://coursetojob.com/guides/study-abroad/) · [Guide: getting your degree recognised abroad](https://coursetojob.com/guides/degree-recognition-abroad/) ## Country context - **Population:** 43.8M (2025) - **GDP per person (PPP):** $2,236 (2024) - **Tertiary enrolment (gross):** 10.9% (2020) ## Questions about graduate jobs in Afghanistan **Do graduates earn more than non-graduates in Afghanistan?** According to the International Labour Organization, employees in Afghanistan with tertiary education earned a median of AFN 13,000 a month in 2020, compared with AFN 10,209 for all employees — +27%. The degree premium ranks 96 of 128 countries with data. **What is the unemployment rate for graduates in Afghanistan?** In 2021, the unemployment rate for adults aged 25 and over with tertiary education in Afghanistan was 8.4%, compared with 4.5% for all adults. Among young people aged 15–24 with tertiary education it was 14.6%. **Which jobs pay the most in Afghanistan?** The best-paid occupation group in Afghanistan in 2020 was “Managers”, with median monthly earnings of AFN 15,000 (PPP$ 950). Professionals, the group that includes most graduate careers, earned a median of AFN 8,155. ## Compare with other countries in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan [Compare Afghanistan side by side](https://coursetojob.com/compare/?c=AF,EG,TN) - **[Egypt](https://coursetojob.com/countries/egypt/)** — +10% more for tertiary-educated employees (2024) Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan - **[Tunisia](https://coursetojob.com/countries/tunisia/)** — +83% more for tertiary-educated employees (2019) Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan - **[Jordan](https://coursetojob.com/countries/jordan/)** — +50% more for tertiary-educated employees (2024) Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan - **[Pakistan](https://coursetojob.com/countries/pakistan/)** — 0% more for tertiary-educated employees (2025) Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan - **[Lebanon](https://coursetojob.com/countries/lebanon/)** — +35% more for tertiary-educated employees (2019) Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan - **[Djibouti](https://coursetojob.com/countries/djibouti/)** — +75% more for tertiary-educated employees (2017) Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan ## Sources 1. [ILOSTAT — Median monthly earnings of employees by education](https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/) — LFS - Labour Force Survey, 2020 2. [ILOSTAT — Median monthly earnings of employees by occupation](https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/) — LFS - Labour Force Survey, 2020 3. [ILOSTAT — Unemployment rate by age and education](https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/) — LFS - Labour Force Survey, 2021 4. [World Bank — World Development Indicators](https://data.worldbank.org/country/af) — Population, GDP per person (PPP) and tertiary enrolment **How to cite this page:** CourseToJob (2026). Afghanistan: graduate salaries, jobs and unemployment. https://coursetojob.com/countries/afghanistan/ (accessed September 26, 2026) [Report a data or content issue](mailto:hello@elitedigitalagency.io?subject=Data%20issue%3A%20https%3A%2F%2Fcoursetojob.com%2Fcountries%2Fafghanistan%2F) **Notes from the data source** - Break in series: Methodology revised - Data reference period: First quarter - The source reports a break in the series, so compare with earlier years carefully. ## Key facts - **Region:** Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan - **Currency:** AFN - **Degree premium:** +27% (2020) - **Unemployment, tertiary:** 8.4% (2021) - **Degree premium rank:** 96 of 128 **On this page** 1. Do graduates earn more in Afghanistan? 2. Which occupations pay the most in Afghanistan? 3. Are graduates less likely to be unemployed in Afghanistan? 4. Studying and working in Afghanistan Machine-readable: [JSON](https://coursetojob.com/api/v1/countries/af.json) · [Markdown](https://coursetojob.com/countries/afghanistan.md)