Hamida Barmaki was born in Kabul on 4 January 1970. After attending Ariana High School in Kabul (1977–1987), she studied law at the Faculty of Law and Political Sciences of Kabul University. Her outstanding academic achievements enabled her to become one of the first women in Afghanistan to follow a career in the judicial service. From 1990–1991, Hamida Barmaki was enrolled in the Attorney General's Office's postgraduate training course to learn more about the practice of law. After this time, she returned to Kabul University as a law professor (1992–2011).
