UNICEF Warns Afghanistan Faces Massive Loss of Female Teachers and Health Workers

After the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, the de-facto authorities banned secondary schooling for girls and barred women from most public-sector jobs. The ban limits girls’ education to age 12 and excludes women from civil-service positions, creating a systemic barrier to female participation in education and health sectors.

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UNICEF’s analysis, *The Cost of Inaction on Girls’ Education and Women’s Labour Force Participation in Afghanistan*, projects the loss of up to 20,000 female teachers and 5,400 female health workers by 2030—about 25 % of the 2021 female workforce. Female representation in civil service fell from 21 % (2023) to 17.7 % (2025). The report estimates that at least 1 million girls have been denied education, a figure expected to double to 2 million by 2030. A 9 % decline in female teachers (from ?73,000 in 2022 to ?66,000 in 2024) and a projected loss of 9,600 health workers by 2035 accompany an annual economic loss of roughly US$84 million (?0.5 % of GDP).

Afghanistan to face major loss of women teachers, health workersReutersUNICEF Warns Afghanistan Faces Loss of Women Teachers by 2030 – ChennaionlineUNICEF: Afghanistan Risks Losing 25,000 Women Teachers and Health Workers by 2030Restrictions on girls’ education and women’s employment in Afghanistan could lead to a loss of over 25,000 female teachers and health workers by 2030 - UNICEFJURIST

UNICEF calls on the Taliban to lift the ban on secondary education for girls and to restore women’s access to public-sector employment. The agency stresses that the disappearance of trained female teachers and health workers would undermine essential services, maternal and child health, and long-term economic development. UNICEF also urges the international community to sustain funding for emergency education and health programmes while the restrictions remain.

UNICEF: Afghanistan Risks Losing 25,000 Women Teachers and Health Workers by 2030ReutersJURISTRestrictions on girls’ education and women’s employment in Afghanistan could lead to a loss of over 25,000 female teachers and health workers by 2030 - UNICEFAfghanistan to face major loss of women teachers, health workersUNICEF Warns Afghanistan Faces Loss of Women Teachers by 2030 – Chennaionline

A coalition of UN experts condemned the Taliban’s prohibition on women entering UN premises, labeling it a violation of fundamental human rights. In July 2025, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for a senior Taliban official over the implementation of gender-based legal restrictions. Human-rights observers argue that the policies constitute a “double crisis” that erodes both current service delivery and future professional pipelines.

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All cited sources present the same quantitative forecasts (?25,000 combined losses) and economic estimates, but none provide independent verification beyond UNICEF’s modelling. The precise timeline for potential mitigation, as well as the impact of informal or private-sector employment for women, remains undocumented.

Reuters

• “Afghanistan cannot afford to lose future teachers, nurses, doctors, midwives, and social workers, who sustain essential services.” — Catherine Russell, UNICEF Executive Director

Restrictions on girls’ education and women’s employment in Afghanistan could lead to a loss of over 25,000 female teachers and health workers by 2030 - UNICEF

• “This will be the reality if girls continue to be excluded from education.” — Catherine Russell, UNICEF Executive Director

UNICEF: Afghanistan Risks Losing 25,000 Women Teachers and Health Workers by 2030

• “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.” — Catherine Russell, UNICEF Executive Director

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• “We urge the de facto authorities to lift the ban on secondary education for girls and call on the international community to remain committed to supporting girls' rights to learn.” — Catherine Russell, UNICEF Executive Director

Restrictions on girls’ education and women’s employment in Afghanistan could lead to a loss of over 25,000 female teachers and health workers by 2030 - UNICEF

UNICEF will continue monitoring the gender gap in education and health employment, while urging the Taliban to reverse the bans. The agency plans to expand community-based learning programmes and to lobby donor nations for sustained financial support aimed at preserving the remaining pool of female professionals.

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