Story perspectives

UNICEF warns Afghanistan loses 20k teachers, 5k health workers

4/29/2026

Summary

UNICEF Warns Afghanistan

UNICEF warned Afghanistan could lose up to 20,000 women teachers and 5,400 female health workers by 2030 if restrictions stay.
Female teachers fell more than 9 percent, from nearly 73,000 in 2022 to about 66,000 in 2024.
More than one million girls have been denied secondary education since the Taliban banned it in September 2021.
UNICEF estimates the restrictions cost Afghanistan about US$84 million annually in lost economic output.

Summary

UNICEF Urges Training

UNICEF’s report urges de facto authorities to protect and expand women’s skills-training programs.
Female healthcare workers are needed to treat female patients because cultural practices require gender-matched providers.
Losing women professionals could force families to travel farther for medical care and education, raising household costs.
Catherine Russell warned that without girls’ education the country will face a shortage of service providers for women and children.

History

Historical Context

After the Taliban captured Kabul on 27 September 1996, they imposed a strict Sharia regime that barred women from work, school and public life, closing most primary schools where female teachers taught. The ban left roughly two-thirds of the country under their control by the end of 1996, and today renewed restrictions threaten tens of thousands of female teachers and undo post-2001 gains.

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UNICEF Warns Afghanistan

UNICEF warned Afghanistan could lose up to 20,000 women teachers and 5,400 female health workers by 2030 if restrictions stay.
Female teachers fell more than 9 percent, from nearly 73,000 in 2022 to about 66,000 in 2024.
More than one million girls have been denied secondary education since the Taliban banned it in September 2021.
UNICEF estimates the restrictions cost Afghanistan about US$84 million annually in lost economic output.

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