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Average Certified Nursing Assistant CNA Salary in Afghanistan for 2026

A certified nursing assistant CNA in Afghanistan earns about 648,200 AFN a year. That's 31% below the national average of 934,900 AFN.

Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in Afghanistan sit around 315,900 AFN a year, while the very top stretches to 1,006,300 AFN. Everything on this page is in Afghan afghani (AFN, symbol ؋), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.

The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in Afghanistan, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.


How much does a certified nursing assistant CNA make in Afghanistan?

Average salary
648,200 AFN
54,016 AFN per month
Lowest reported
315,900 AFN
26,325 AFN per month
Highest reported
1,006,300 AFN
83,858 AFN per month

A typical certified nursing assistant CNA working in Afghanistan brings home around 54,016 AFN a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 315,900 AFN, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 1,006,300 AFN for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.

The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior certified nursing assistant CNA working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around.


How certified nursing assistant CNA pay ranges in Afghanistan

A good way to think about salary in Afghanistan is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all certified nursing assistant CNAs in Afghanistan earn less than 659,200 AFN a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".

Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 437,900 AFN (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 849,200 AFN (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of certified nursing assistant CNAs sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 315,900 AFN. The highest stretch to 1,006,300 AFN, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.

315,900
Low
659,200
Median
1,006,300
High
437,900
25th
849,200
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in AFN

Certified nursing assistant CNA pay by experience in Afghanistan

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a certified nursing assistant CNA in Afghanistan, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical certified nursing assistant CNA salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    376,800 AFN
  • 2-5 Years
    +28% from previous
    483,400 AFN
  • 5-10 Years
    +38% from previous
    667,400 AFN
  • 10-15 Years
    +24% from previous
    824,800 AFN
  • 15-20 Years
    +7% from previous
    884,700 AFN
  • 20+ Years
    +7% from previous
    942,700 AFN

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 38%. That is the point at which a certified nursing assistant CNA typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.


Certified nursing assistant CNA pay by education in Afghanistan

Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving certified nursing assistant CNA pay in Afghanistan. Higher qualifications consistently pull higher salaries, but the size of the gap tends to be smallest at junior levels and widens as people move up. Two people in the same role with the same years of experience but different degrees can end up earning very different money once they reach mid-career.

Below is the average certified nursing assistant CNA salary in Afghanistan broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.

  • Bachelor's Degree
    467,700 AFN
  • Master's Degree
    +61% from previous
    751,700 AFN

Certified nursing assistant CNA gender pay gap in Afghanistan

The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and Afghanistan is no exception. Male certified nursing assistant CNAs in Afghanistan earn an average of 596,100 AFN a year, while female certified nursing assistant CNAs earn around 680,100 AFN. That works out to a 12% gap in favour of women, even when comparing people doing the same work.

A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.

Certified Nursing Assistant CNA gender pay gap

12%

Men earn this much less than women on average in Afghanistan.

Women 680,100 AFN
Men 596,100 AFN

Pay raises for a certified nursing assistant CNA in Afghanistan

Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.

A typical worker doing this role in Afghanistan sees a raise of about 4% every 31 months, which works out to roughly 2% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.

Across all jobs in Afghanistan, the national average raise is around 4% every 29 months.

By industry

Industries with the highest pay raises in Afghanistan:

  • Banking
    1%
  • Energy
    2%
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Travel
  • Construction
  • Education

By experience level

Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.

  • Junior Level
    3% - 5%
  • Mid-Career
  • Senior Level
  • Top Management

Certified nursing assistant CNA bonus rates in Afghanistan

Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.

38%

38% of certified nursing assistant CNAs in Afghanistan reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a certified nursing assistant CNA a low-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.

Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 6% of base salary. The remaining 62% of certified nursing assistant CNAs reported no bonus at all over the same period.

Which careers pay bonuses in Afghanistan

Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.

  • Finance
  • Architecture
  • Sales
  • Business Development
  • Marketing / Advertising
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Insurance
  • Customer Service
  • Human Resources
  • Construction
  • Transport
  • Hospitality

Certified nursing assistant CNA: public vs private sector pay

Public-sector pay in Afghanistan is about 11% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.

Public vs private pay gap

10%

Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in Afghanistan on average.

Public sector 971,200 AFN
Private sector 878,900 AFN

Certified nursing assistant CNA salary by city in Afghanistan

Certified nursing assistant CNA pay is not even across Afghanistan. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities in the dataset, followed by the full location table.

  • Kabul
  • Kandahar
  • Herat
  • Kunduz
  • Jalalabad
  • Mazari Sharif
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
KabulCity744,700 AFN758,700 AFN363,000-1,162,900 AFN
KandaharCity727,100 AFN699,700 AFN378,300-1,112,300 AFN
HeratCity670,600 AFN642,800 AFN349,300-1,023,400 AFN
KunduzCity641,900 AFN693,100 AFN294,700-1,019,200 AFN
JalalabadCity639,900 AFN692,500 AFN294,300-1,016,300 AFN
Mazari SharifCity626,800 AFN639,900 AFN308,900-979,600 AFN


Certified Nursing Assistant CNA in Afghanistan: FAQs

  • How much does a certified nursing assistant CNA make per month in Afghanistan?

    A certified nursing assistant CNA in Afghanistan earns about 54,016 AFN a month before tax, based on an annual average of 648,200 AFN.

  • What's the salary range for a certified nursing assistant CNA in Afghanistan?

    Entry-level certified nursing assistant CNAs in Afghanistan start near 315,900 AFN. Top-end pay reaches around 1,006,300 AFN. The middle 50% of earners sit between 437,900 and 849,200 AFN.

  • Is the median certified nursing assistant CNA salary in Afghanistan higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 659,200 AFN, higher than the average of 648,200 AFN. Half of certified nursing assistant CNAs in Afghanistan earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for certified nursing assistant CNAs in Afghanistan?

    Men working as a certified nursing assistant CNA in Afghanistan earn around 12% less than women on average (596,100 vs 680,100 AFN a year).

  • Do certified nursing assistant CNAs in Afghanistan get bonuses?

    About 38% of certified nursing assistant CNAs in Afghanistan reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 6% of base salary.

  • Do certified nursing assistant CNAs earn more in the public or private sector in Afghanistan?

    In Afghanistan, the public sector pays a certified nursing assistant CNA about 11% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.

  • How often do certified nursing assistant CNAs in Afghanistan get a pay raise?

    A certified nursing assistant CNA in Afghanistan sees a raise of around 4% every 31 months, equivalent to roughly 2% a year.