2022 Edition

Background

Ahmad Shah DURRANI unified the Pashtun tribes and founded Afghanistan in 1747. The country served as a buffer between the British and Russian Empires until it won independence from notional British control in 1919. A brief experiment in increased democracy ended in a 1973 coup and a 1978 communist countercoup. The Soviet Union invaded in 1979 to support the tottering Afghan communist regime, touching off a long and destructive war. The USSR withdrew in 1989 under relentless pressure by internationally supported anti-communist mujahidin rebels. A series of subsequent civil wars saw Kabul finally fall in 1996 to the Taliban, a hardline Pakistani-sponsored movement that emerged in 1994 to end the country's civil war and anarchy. Following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks, a US, Allied, and anti-Taliban Northern Alliance military action toppled the Taliban for sheltering Usama BIN LADIN. A UN-sponsored Bonn Conference in 2001 established a process for political reconstruction that included the adoption of a new constitution, a presidential election in 2004, and National Assembly elections in 2005. In December 2004, Hamid KARZAI became the first democratically elected president of Afghanistan and was reelected in August 2009. In February 2020, the US and the Taliban signed the “US-Taliban Agreement,” which contained commitments by the US related to the withdrawal from Afghanistan of military forces of the US, its allies, and Coalition partners, as well as commitments by the Taliban related to counterterrorism, among other topics. Following a US drawdown of virtually all of its troops, a summer 2021 Taliban offensive quickly overran the country and the Taliban took over Kabul in August of 2021. 

Area

land

652,230 sq km

total

652,230 sq km

water

0 sq km

Area - comparative

almost six times the size of Virginia; slightly smaller than Texas

Climate

arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Elevation

highest point

Noshak 7,492 m

lowest point

Amu Darya 258 m

mean elevation

1,884 m

Geographic coordinates

33 00 N, 65 00 E

Geography - note

landlocked; the Hindu Kush mountains that run northeast to southwest divide the northern provinces from the rest of the country; the highest peaks are in the northern Vakhan (Wakhan Corridor)

Irrigated land

24,930 sq km (2020)

Land boundaries

border countries

China 91 km; Iran 921 km; Pakistan 2,670 km; Tajikistan 1,357 km; Turkmenistan 804 km; Uzbekistan 144 km

total

5,987 km

Land use

agricultural land

58.1% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 11.8% (2018)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 0.3% (2018)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 46% (2018)

forest

1.8% (2018 est.)

other

40.1% (2018)

Location

Southern Asia, north and west of Pakistan, east of Iran

Major lakes (area sq km)

salt water lake(s)

Ab-e Istadah-ye Muqur (endorheic basin) - 520 sq km

Major rivers (by length in km)

Amu Darya (shared with Tajikistan [s], Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan [m]) - 2,620 km; Helmand river source (shared with Iran) - 1,130 kmnote – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

Major watersheds (area sq km)

Indian Ocean drainage: Indus (1,081,718 sq km)Internal (endorheic basin) drainage: Amu Darya (534,739 sq km); Tarim Basin (1,152,448 sq km)

Map references

Asia

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Natural hazards

damaging earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains; flooding; droughts

Natural resources

natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, chromite, talc, barites, sulfur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and semiprecious stones, arable land

Population distribution

populations tend to cluster in the foothills and periphery of the rugged Hindu Kush range; smaller groups are found in many of the country's interior valleys; in general, the east is more densely settled, while the south is sparsely populated

Terrain

mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest

Age structure

0-14 years

40.62% (male 7,562,703/female 7,321,646)

15-24 years

21.26% (male 3,960,044/female 3,828,670)

25-54 years

31.44% (male 5,858,675/female 5,661,887)

55-64 years

4.01% (male 724,597/female 744,910)

65 years and over

2.68% (male 451,852/female 528,831) (2020 est.)

Alcohol consumption per capita

beer

0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols

0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits

0.01 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total

0.01 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine

0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Birth rate

35.46 births/1,000 population (2022 est.)

Child marriage

women married by age 15

4.2%

women married by age 18

28.3% (2017 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

19.1% (2018)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

18.9% (2018)

note

note:  percent of women aged 12-49

Current health expenditure

13.2% of GDP (2019)

Death rate

12.33 deaths/1,000 population (2022 est.)

Dependency ratios

elderly dependency ratio

4.8

potential support ratio

22.5 (2021 est.)

total dependency ratio

84.6

youth dependency ratio

80.2

Drinking water source

improved: rural

rural: 68.3% of population

improved: total

total: 76.5% of population 70.2%

improved: urban

urban: 100% of population

unimproved: rural

rural: 31.7% of population

unimproved: total

total: 23.5% of population (2020 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 0% of population

Education expenditures

2.9% of GDP (2020 est.)

Ethnic groups

Current, reliable statistical data on ethnicity in Afghanistan are not available; Afghanistan's 2004 Constitution cited Pashtun, Tajik, Hazara, Uzbek, Turkman, Baluch, Pachaie, Nuristani, Aymaq, Arab, Qirghiz, Qizilbash, Gujur, and Brahwui ethnicities; Afghanistan has dozens of other small ethnic groups

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

(2021 est.)

Hospital bed density

0.4 beds/1,000 population (2017)

Infant mortality rate

female

96.03 deaths/1,000 live births (2022 est.)

male

113.33 deaths/1,000 live births

total

104.89 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages

Languages

Afghan Persian or Dari (official, lingua franca) 77%, Pashto (official) 48%, Uzbeki 11%, English 6%, Turkmani 3%, Urdu 3%, Pachaie 1%, Nuristani 1%, Arabic 1%, Balochi 1%, other <1% (2020 est.)

major-language sample(s)

کتاب حقایق جهان، مرجعی ضروری برای اطلاعات اولیە (Dari) د دنیا د حقائېقو کتاب، بنیادی معلوماتو لپاره ضروری سرچینه- (Pashto)The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

note

note 1: percentages sum to more than 100% because many people are multilingual note 2: Uzbeki, Turkmani, Pachaie, Nuristani, Balochi, and Pamiri are the third official languages in areas where the majority speaks them

Life expectancy at birth

female

55.28 years (2022 est.)

male

52.1 years

total population

53.65 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

22.6% (2021)

male

52.1%

total population

37.3%

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk

intermediate (2020)

food or waterborne diseases

bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

note

note: Afghanistan is one of two countries with endemic wild polio virus (the other is Pakistan) and considered high risk for international spread of the disease; before any international travel, anyone unvaccinated, incompletely vaccinated, or with an unknown polio vaccination status should complete the routine polio vaccine series; before travel to any high-risk destination, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that adults who previously completed the full, routine polio vaccine series receive a single, lifetime booster dose of polio vaccine

vectorborne diseases

Crimea-Congo hemorrhagic fever, malaria

Major urban areas - population

4.589 million KABUL (capital) (2023)

Maternal mortality ratio

638 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)

Median age

female

19.5 years (2020 est.)

male

19.4 years

total

19.5 years

Mother's mean age at first birth

19.9 years (2015 est.)

note

note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49

Nationality

adjective

Afghan

noun

Afghan(s)

Net migration rate

-0.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2022 est.)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

5.5% (2016)

Physicians density

0.25 physicians/1,000 population (2020)

Population

38,346,720 (2022 est.)

Population distribution

populations tend to cluster in the foothills and periphery of the rugged Hindu Kush range; smaller groups are found in many of the country's interior valleys; in general, the east is more densely settled, while the south is sparsely populated

Population growth rate

2.3% (2022 est.)

Religions

Muslim 99.7% (Sunni 84.7 - 89.7%, Shia 10 - 15%), other <0.3% (2009 est.)

Sanitation facility access

improved: rural

rural: 52% of population

improved: total

total: 61.4% of population

improved: urban

urban: 88.2% of population

unimproved: rural

rural: 48% of population

unimproved: total

total: 38.6% of population (2020 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 11.8% of population

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

female

8 years (2018)

male

13 years

total

10 years

Sex ratio

0-14 years

1.03 male(s)/female

15-24 years

1.03 male(s)/female

25-54 years

1.03 male(s)/female

55-64 years

0.97 male(s)/female

65 years and over

0.7 male(s)/female

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female

total population

1.03 male(s)/female (2022 est.)

Tobacco use

female

7.2% (2020 est.)

male

39.4% (2020 est.)

total

23.3% (2020 est.)

Total fertility rate

4.62 children born/woman (2022 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

3.34% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

26.9% of total population (2023)

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)

female

9.4% (2021 est.)

male

8.4%

total

8.7%

Administrative divisions

34 provinces (welayat, singular - welayat); Badakhshan, Badghis, Baghlan, Balkh, Bamyan, Daykundi, Farah, Faryab, Ghazni, Ghor, Helmand, Herat, Jowzjan, Kabul, Kandahar, Kapisa, Khost, Kunar, Kunduz, Laghman, Logar, Nangarhar, Nimroz, Nuristan, Paktika, Paktiya, Panjshir, Parwan, Samangan, Sar-e Pul, Takhar, Uruzgan, Wardak, Zabul

Capital

daylight saving time

does not observe daylight savings time

etymology

named for the Kabul River, but the river's name is of unknown origin

geographic coordinates

34 31 N, 69 11 E

name

Kabul

time difference

UTC+4.5 (9.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Citizenship

citizenship by birth

no

citizenship by descent only

at least one parent must have been born in - and continuously lived in - Afghanistan

dual citizenship recognized

no

residency requirement for naturalization

5 years

Constitution

amendments

formerly proposed by a commission formed by presidential decree followed by the convention of a Grand Council (Loya Jirga) decreed by the president; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote of the Loya Jirga membership and endorsement by the president

history

last ratified in 2004

Country name

conventional long form

formerly Islamic Republic of Afghanistan

conventional short form

Afghanistan

etymology

the name "Afghan" originally referred to the Pashtun people (today it is understood to include all the country's ethnic groups), while the suffix "-stan" means "place of" or "country"; so Afghanistan literally means the "Land of the Afghans"

former

Islamic Republic of Afghanistan

local long form

formerly Jamhuri-ye Islami-ye Afghanistan

local short form

Afghanistan

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador (vacant); Charge d’Affaires: Ian McCARY (since August 2021); note – since 15 August 2021, the United States has not yet made a decision whether to recognize the Taliban or any other entity as the Government of Afghanistan

embassy

Embassy Kabul, operations have been suspended; Department of State’s Afghanistan Affairs Unit operates from Doha, Qatar.        

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

2341 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

the Afghan Embassy closed in March 2022

email address and website

info@afghanembassy.ushttps://www.afghanembassy.us/

FAX

[1] (202) 483-6488

telephone

[1] (202) 483-6410

Executive branch

cabinet

before 15 August 2021, the cabinet formerly consisted of 25 ministers appointed by the president, approved by the National Assembly; the Taliban have announced a so-called “cabinet” which includes 33 ministries

chief of state

president (vacant); note – before 15 August, 2021, the president was both chief of state and head of government; President Ashraf GHANI departed the country on 15 August 2021; on 7 September 2021, the Taliban announced Mullah Mohammad HASSAN Akhund as the so-called “acting Prime Minister” of a so-called “interim government”; as of November 2021, the group had announced three acting so-called “Deputy Prime Ministers”: Mullah Abdul Ghani BERADER, Mullah Abdul Salam HANAFI, and Maulawi Abdul KABIR

election results

no elections have been held since 2019; in that election, Ashraf GHANI was declared winner by the Independent Election Commission on 18 February 2020; the IEC declared Ashraf GHANI the winner with 50.6% of the vote, Abdullah ABDULLAH, Dr. 39.5%, other 0.9%

elections/appointments

the 2004 Afghan constitution directed that the president should be elected by majority popular vote for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 28 September 2019

head of government

president (vacant); note - President Ashraf GHANI departed the country on 15 August 2021; on 7 September 2021, the Taliban announced Mullah Mohammad HASSAN Akhund as the acting Prime Minister of an interim Taliban government; the US does not recognize the Taliban government; as of November 2021, the group had announced three acting Deputy Prime Ministers: Mullah Abdul Ghani BERADER, Mullah Abdul Salam HANAFI, and Maulawi Abdul KABIR

Flag description

three equal vertical bands of black (hoist side), red, and green, with the national emblem in white centered on the red band and slightly overlapping the other 2 bands; the center of the emblem features a mosque with pulpit and flags on either side, below the mosque are Eastern Arabic numerals for the solar year 1298 (1919 in the Gregorian calendar, the year of Afghan independence from the UK); this central image is circled by a border consisting of sheaves of wheat on the left and right, in the upper-center is an Arabic inscription of the Shahada (Muslim creed) below which are rays of the rising sun over the Takbir (Arabic expression meaning "God is great"), and at bottom center is a scroll bearing the name Afghanistan; black signifies the past, red is for the blood shed for independence, and green can represent either hope for the future, agricultural prosperity, or Islam

note

note 1: the United States has not recognized the Taliban or any other entity as the government of Afghanistan and, accordingly, continues to display the flag of Afghanistan as set forth in the country's constitution of 2004note 2: Afghanistan had more changes to its national flag in the 20th century - 19 by one count - than any other country; the colors black, red, and green appeared on most of them

Government type

the United States does not recognize the Taliban government

Independence

19 August 1919 (from UK control over Afghan foreign affairs)

International law organization participation

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; formerly accepted ICCt jurisdiction

International organization participation

before 15 August, 2021, Afghanistan was a member or participant in the following organizations: ADB, CICA, CP, ECO, EITI (candidate country), FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE (partner), SAARC, SACEP, SCO (dialogue member), UN, UNAMA, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Judicial branch

highest court(s)

the Taliban’s so-called “interim government” has a “Supreme Court” (consisting of a supreme court chief and an unknown number of justices); before 15 August, 2021, Afghanistan had a Supreme Court (consisting of a supreme court chief and 8 justices organized into criminal, public security, civil, and commercial divisions)

judge selection and term of office

the court chief and justices were appointed by the president with the approval of the Wolesi Jirga; court chief and justices served single 10-year terms

subordinate courts

before 15 August 2021, consisted of Appeals Courts; Primary Courts; and Special Courts for issues including narcotics, security, property, family, and juveniles

Legal system

before the Taliban's takeover of Kabul in August 2021, Afghanistan had a mixed legal system of civil, customary, and Islamic (sharia) law; after August 2021, the Taliban’s so-called “interim government” has claimed to be implementing its own interpretation of Islamic law, partially based on the Hanafi school of Islamic jurisprudence. (2021)

Legislative branch

description

before 15 August, 2021, Afghanistan had a bicameral National Assembly that consisted of a House of Elders and a House of People; since August 15, the Taliban’s so-called “interim government” has not purported to announce the formation of a legislative branch

election results

before 15 August 2021, House of Elders - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; composition - men 85, women 17, percent of women 16.7%before 15 August 2021, House of People - percent of vote by party NA; seats by party - NA; composition - men 179, women 69, percent of women 27.7%; note - total National Assembly percent of women 24.4%

elections

before 15 August, 2021:  House of Elders - district councils - held within 5 days of installation; provincial councils - within 15 days of installation; and presidential appointees - within 2 weeks after the presidential inauguration; note - in early 2016, former President Ashraf Ghani extended their mandate until parliamentary and district elections could be held; former House of People - last held on 20 October 2018

National anthem

lyrics/music

Abdul Bari JAHANI/Babrak WASA

name

"Milli Surood" (National Anthem)

note

note: adopted 2006

National heritage

note

note: the monumental 6th- and 7th-century statues were destroyed by the Taliban in 2001

selected World Heritage Site locales

Minaret of Jam; Buddhas of Bamyan

total World Heritage Sites

2 (both cultural)

National holiday

Independence Day, 19 August (1919)

National symbol(s)

lion; national colors: red, green, black

Political parties and leaders

the Taliban’s so-called “interim government” includes mostly Taliban members and not other political parties; before 15 August, 2021, the Ministry of Justice had licensed 72 political parties as of April 2019

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agricultural products

wheat, milk, grapes, vegetables, potatoes, watermelons, melons, rice, onions, apples

Budget

expenditures

5.328 billion (2017 est.)

revenues

2.276 billion (2017 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-15.1% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Current account balance

Current account balance 2016

$1.409 billion (2016 est.)

Current account balance 2017

$1.014 billion (2017 est.)

Debt - external

Debt - external FY10/11

$284 million (FY10/11)

Economic overview

Prior to 2001, Afghanistan was an extremely poor, landlocked, and foreign aid-dependent country. Increased domestic economic activity occurred following the US-led invasion, as well as significant international economic development assistance. This increased activity expanded access to water, electricity, sanitation, education, and health services, and fostered consistent growth in government revenues since 2014. While international security forces have been drawing down since 2012, with much higher U.S. forces’ drawdowns occurring since 2017, economic progress continues, albeit uneven across sectors and key economic indicators. After recovering from the 2018 drought and growing 3.9% in 2019, political instability, expiring international financial commitments, and the COVID-19 pandemic have wrought significant adversity on the Afghan economy, with a projected 5% contraction. Current political parties’ power-sharing agreement following the September 2019 presidential elections as well as ongoing Taliban attacks and peace talks have led to Afghan economic instability. This instability, coupled with expiring international grant and assistance, endangers recent fiscal gains and has led to more internally displaced persons. In November 2020, Afghanistan secured $12 billion in additional international aid for 2021-2025, much of which is conditional upon Taliban peace progress. Additionally, Afghanistan continues to experience influxes of repatriating Afghanis, mostly from Iran, significantly straining economic and security institutions. Afghanistan’s trade deficit remains at approximately 31% of GDP and is highly dependent on financing through grants and aid. While Afghan agricultural growth remains consistent, recent industrial and services growth have been enormously impacted by COVID-19 lockdowns and trade cessations. While trade with the People’s Republic of China has rapidly expanded in recent years, Afghanistan still relies heavily upon India and Pakistan as export partners but is more diverse in its import partners. Furthermore, Afghanistan still struggles to effectively enforce business contracts, facilitate easy tax collection, and enable greater international trade for domestic enterprises.Current Afghan priorities focus on the following goals: Securing international economic agreements, many of which are contingent on Taliban peace progress; Increasing exports to $2 billion USD by 2023; Continuing to expand government revenue collection; Countering corruption and navigating challenges from the power-sharing agreement; and Developing a strong private sector that can empower the economy.

Exchange rates

Currency

afghanis (AFA) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2013

57.25 (2013 est.)

Exchange rates 2014

61.14 (2014 est.)

Exchange rates 2015

67.87 (2015)

Exchange rates 2016

68.03 (2016 est.)

Exchange rates 2017

7.87 (2017 est.)

Exports

Exports 2018

$1.61 billion (2018 est.)

Exports 2019

$1.52 billion (2019 est.)

Exports 2020

$1.48 billion (2020 est.)

note

note: Data are in current year dollars and do not include illicit exports or re-exports.

Exports - commodities

gold, grapes, opium, fruits and nuts, insect resins, cotton, handwoven carpets, soapstone, scrap metal (2019)

Exports - partners

United Arab Emirates 45%, Pakistan 24%, India 22%, China 1% (2019)

Fiscal year

21 March - 20 March

GDP - composition, by end use

exports of goods and services

6.7% (2016 est.)

government consumption

12% (2016 est.)

household consumption

81.6% (2016 est.)

imports of goods and services

-47.6% (2016 est.)

investment in fixed capital

17.2% (2016 est.)

investment in inventories

30% (2016 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture

23% (2016 est.)

industry

21.1% (2016 est.)

note

note: data exclude opium production

services

55.9% (2016 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$20.24 billion (2017 est.)

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2008

29.4 (2008)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

24% (2008)

lowest 10%

3.8%

Imports

Imports 2018

$7.98 billion (2018 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Imports 2019

$7.37 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Imports 2020

$6.98 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Imports - commodities

wheat flours, broadcasting equipment, refined petroleum, rolled tobacco, aircraft parts, synthetic fabrics (2019)

Imports - partners

United Arab Emirates 23%, Pakistan 17%, India 13%, China 9%, United States 9%, Uzbekistan 7%, Kazakhstan 6% (2019)

Industrial production growth rate

-1.9% (2016 est.)

Industries

small-scale production of bricks, textiles, soap, furniture, shoes, fertilizer, apparel, food products, non-alcoholic beverages, mineral water, cement; handwoven carpets; natural gas, coal, copper

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2016

4.4% (2016 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2017

5% (2017 est.)

Labor force

8.478 million (2017 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

44.3%

industry

18.1%

services

37.6% (2017 est.)

Population below poverty line

54.5% (2016 est.)

Public debt

Public debt 2016

7.8% of GDP (2016 est.)

Public debt 2017

7% of GDP (2017 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

note

note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2018

$75.6 billion (2018 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2019

$78.56 billion (2019 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2020

$77.04 billion (2020 est.)

Real GDP growth rate

Real GDP growth rate 2015

1% (2015 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2016

2.2% (2016 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2017

2.7% (2017 est.)

Real GDP per capita

note

note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real GDP per capita 2018

$2,000 (2018 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2019

$2,100 (2019 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2020

$2,000 (2020 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2015

$6.901 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2017

$7.187 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

11.2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Unemployment rate

Unemployment rate 2016

22.6% (2016 est.)

Unemployment rate 2017

23.9% (2017 est.)

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)

female

9.4% (2021 est.)

male

8.4%

total

8.7%

Carbon dioxide emissions

from coal and metallurgical coke

4.158 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

from consumed natural gas

267,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

from petroleum and other liquids

3.468 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

total emissions

7.893 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

Coal

consumption

2.096 million metric tons (2020 est.)

exports

0 metric tons (2020 est.)

imports

0 metric tons (2020 est.)

production

2.096 million metric tons (2020 est.)

proven reserves

66 million metric tons (2019 est.)

Electricity

consumption

5.913 billion kWh (2019 est.)

exports

0 kWh (2019 est.)

imports

4.912 billion kWh (2019 est.)

installed generating capacity

776,000 kW (2020 est.)

transmission/distribution losses

61.6 million kWh (2019 est.)

Electricity access

electrification - rural areas

98% (2018)

electrification - total population

99% (2018)

electrification - urban areas

100% (2018)

Electricity generation sources

biomass and waste

0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

fossil fuels

15.9% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

geothermal

0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

hydroelectricity

79.1% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

nuclear

0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

solar

5.1% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

tide and wave

0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

wind

0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

Energy consumption per capita

Total energy consumption per capita 2019

3.227 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Natural gas

consumption

80.193 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

exports

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

imports

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

production

80.193 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

proven reserves

49.554 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

Petroleum

crude oil and lease condensate exports

0 bbl/day (2018 est.)

crude oil and lease condensate imports

0 bbl/day (2018 est.)

crude oil estimated reserves

0 barrels (2021 est.)

refined petroleum consumption

24,300 bbl/day (2019 est.)

total petroleum production

0 bbl/day (2021 est.)

Refined petroleum products - exports

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Refined petroleum products - imports

34,210 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Refined petroleum products - production

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

0.1 (2020 est.)

total

26,570 (2020 est.)

Broadcast media

since 15 August 2021, independent media outlets have decreased in number due to financial hardships, departure of staff from the country, and restrictions placed by the Taliban; media workers report self-censoring criticism of the Taliban; before 15 August 2021, the former Afghan Government-owned broadcaster, Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA), operated a series of radio and television stations in Kabul and the provinces and the country had an estimated 174 private radio stations and 83 TV stations; television and radio are key media platforms; only about a fifth of Afghans in urban areas use the internet, mostly through smartphones, and young adults are significantly more likely to use the internet (2021)

Internet country code

.af

Internet users

percent of population

18% (2020 est.)

total

7,007,101 (2020 est.)

Telecommunication systems

domestic

before 15 August 2021, less than 1 per 100 for fixed-line teledensity; 58 per 100 for mobile-cellular; an increasing number of Afghans utilize mobile-cellular phone networks (2021)

general assessment

the return of the Taliban to power in August 2021 following the American-led withdrawal of security forces has thrown the telecom sector into disarray; Afghanistan was near the bottom of the world’s rankings in terms of its telecom market maturity, but it had been making some positive progress toward establishing widespread coverage over the prior decade under civilian administration; after the first Taliban regime was toppled in 2001, considerable foreign investment along with open competition in the telecom sector resulted in the transformation of the mobile market; the first mobile network was set up in 2002, and by 2020 coverage had reached 90%; mobile penetration rates, too, had climbed from zero to almost 100% by the time a new insurgency kicked off in 2019 that was closely followed by the start of the Covid-19 pandemic; both events caused a drop in subscriber numbers and in revenue for the mobile operators; it was additional costs involved with repairing and replacing network infrastructure destroyed by the Taliban in the build up to their takeover that put a strain on the operators’ finances; with increased levels of risk and uncertainty now associated with running a telecom company in the embattled state (2021)

international

country code - 93; multiple VSAT's provide international and domestic voice and data connectivity (2019)

note

note: the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally; since 2020, some aspects of the telecom sector have experienced a downturn, particularly in mobile device production; progress toward 5G implementation has resumed, as well as upgrades to infrastructure; consumer spending on telecom services has increased due to the surge in demand for capacity and bandwidth; the crucial nature of telecom services as a tool for work and school from home is still evident, and the spike in this area has seen growth opportunities for development of new tools and increased services

Telephones - fixed lines

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

(2020 est.) less than 1

total subscriptions

145,787 (2020 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

58 (2020 est.)

total subscriptions

22,678,024 (2020 est.)

Airports

total

46 (2021)

Airports - with paved runways

1,524 to 2,437 m

12

2,438 to 3,047 m

8

914 to 1,523 m

2

over 3,047 m

4

total

29

under 914 m

3 (2021)

Airports - with unpaved runways

1,524 to 2,437 m

7

2,438 to 3,047 m

1

914 to 1,523 m

4

total

17

under 914 m

5 (2021)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

YA

Heliports

1 (2021)

National air transport system

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers

29.56 million (2018) mt-km

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers

1,722,612 (2018)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers

13

number of registered air carriers

3 (2020)

Pipelines

466 km gas (2013)

Ports and terminals

river port(s)

Hairatan, Qizil Qal`ah (Amu Darya)

Roadways

paved

17,903 km (2017)

total

34,903 km (2017)

unpaved

17,000 km (2017)

Waterways

1,200 km (2011) (chiefly Amu Darya, which handles vessels up to 500 DWT)

Military - note

as of 2022, the Taliban’s primary security threats included ISIS-Khorasan and anti-Taliban resistance elements known as the National Resistance Front and Afghanistan Freedom Front

Military and security forces

as of 2022, the Taliban had established a de facto Ministry of Defense and named commanders and deputy commanders for 8 regional corps; in December 2021, it announced the formation of a police force (2022)

Military and security service personnel strengths

in May 2022, the de facto Ministry of Defense announced that approximately 130,000 troops had been recruited for a new "National Army" (2022)

note

note: as of 2022, there were also up to 10,000 foreign fighters in Afghanistan, most of whom were aligned with the Taliban

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

the Taliban military/security forces are armed largely with equipment captured from the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) when the central government in Kabul collapsed in 2021 (2022)

Military expenditures

Military Expenditures 2015

2.9% of GDP (2015) (approximately $2.22 billion)

Military Expenditures 2016

3.1% of GDP (2016) (approximately $2.6 billion)

Military Expenditures 2017

3.3% of GDP (2017) (approximately $2.34 billion)

Military Expenditures 2018

3.2% of GDP (2018) (approximately $2.31 billion)

Military Expenditures 2019

3.3% of GDP (2019) (approximately $2.35 billion)

Military service age and obligation

not available

note

note: the Taliban dismissed nearly all women from the former Afghan Government security forces, except those serving in detention facilities and assisting with body searches 

Disputes - international

Afghanistan-China: None identifiedAfghanistan-Iran: Afghan and Iranian commissioners have discussed boundary monument densification and resurvey; Iran protests Afghanistan's restricting flow of dammed Helmand River tributaries during droughtAfghanistan-Pakistan: Pakistan has built fences in some portions of its border with Afghanistan which remains open in some areas to terrorist and other illegal activities. Their alignments may not always be in conformance with Durand Line and original surveyed definitions of the boundary.Afghanistan-Tajikistan: None identifiedAfghanistan-Turkmenistan: None identifiedAfghanistan-Uzbekistan: None identified. Boundary follows Amu Darya river as delimited in the Afghan-Soviet treaties and not by the river's current course. The boundary was delimited and possibly demarcated during Soviet times (pre-1991). No current negotiations between Afghanistan and Uzbekistan to redelimit the boundary have been identified. Russia remains concerned about the smuggling of poppy derivatives from Afghanistan through Central Asian countries

Illicit drugs

the world’s largest producer of illicit opiates, but it is not a major supplier to the United States; 215,000 hectares (ha) of opium poppy cultivated in Afghanistan in 2020; also produces methamphetamine and cannabis products; one of the highest domestic substance abuse rates in the world (2022)

Refugees and internally displaced persons

IDPs

4.314 million (mostly Pashtuns and Kuchis displaced in the south and west due to natural disasters and political instability) (2021)

refugees (country of origin)

72,188 (Pakistan) (mid-year 2021)

Trafficking in persons

note

note: The United States has not recognized the Taliban or another entity as the government of Afghanistan. On August 15, 2021, the Taliban culminated its takeover of Kabul, and on September 7, 2021, the Taliban announced a so-called interim government. As of December 2021, the Taliban had not outlined steps or a timeline to establish a new permanent government. All references to “the pre-August 15 government” refer to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. References to the Taliban reflect events both prior to and after August 15.

tier rating

Tier 3 — Afghanistan does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so; therefore, Afghanistan remains on Tier 3; substantial personnel turnover and closing of some ministries after the August 15, 2021 Taliban takeover hindered Afghanistan’s ability to maintain consistent anti-trafficking efforts; although the pre-August 15 government took some training and awareness steps to address trafficking, it employed or recruited child soldiers and sexual slaves in government compounds; After August 15, the Taliban continued recruiting or employing child soldiers and did not investigate, prosecute, or convict any traffickers; the Taliban shut down shelters for victims, did not identify or protect victims, and did not make any efforts to prevent trafficking; Taliban undermining the rights of women, minorities, and other vulnerable populations, further exacerbated vulnerabilities to trafficking (2022)

trafficking profile

human traffickers exploit domestic and foreign victims in Afghanistan and exploit Afghan victims abroad; internal trafficking is more prevalent than transnational trafficking; since the Taliban takeover, vulnerabilities to exploitation have intensified; traffickers exploit men, women, and a large number of children domestically; victims are subjected to forced labor in agriculture, brick kilns, carpet weaving, domestic servitude, commercial sex, begging, poppy cultivation and harvesting, salt mining, transnational drug smuggling, and truck driving; the Taliban and non-state armed groups, such as the Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISIS-K), continue to unlawfully recruit and use child soldiers; sexual exploitation of boys remains pervasive nationwide, and traffickers subject some boys to sexual exploitation abroad; after the Taliban takeover, restrictions on the movement of women and girls, and severely diminished access to employment and education, increased their vulnerability to trafficking; LGBTQI+ individuals are among the most vulnerable groups in Afghanistan under the Taliban (2022)

Terrorist group(s)

Haqqani Taliban Network; Harakat ul-Mujahidin; Harakat ul-Jihad-i-Islami; Islamic Jihad Union; Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan; Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham-Khorasan Province (ISIS-K); Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)/Qods Force; Jaish-e-Mohammed; Jaysh al Adl (Jundallah); Lashkar i Jhangvi; Lashkar-e Tayyiba; al-Qa’ida; al-Qa'ida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS); Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)

note

note 1:  as of mid-2022, TTP was reportedly the largest component of foreign terrorist fighters in Afghanistan, with an estimated 3-4,000 armed fighters operating primarily along the Afghanistan-Pakistan bordernote 2: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in Appendix T

Air pollutants

carbon dioxide emissions

8.67 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions

90.98 megatons (2020 est.)

particulate matter emissions

53.17 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)

Climate

arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers

Environment - current issues

limited natural freshwater resources; inadequate supplies of potable water; soil degradation; overgrazing; deforestation (much of the remaining forests are being cut down for fuel and building materials); desertification; air and water pollution in overcrowded urban areas

Environment - international agreements

party to

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection

signed, but not ratified

Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation

Food insecurity

severe localized food insecurity

due to civil conflict, population displacement, and economic slowdown - between November 2021 and March 2022, during the winter lean season, the food insecurity situation was expected to deteriorate and the number of people in "Crisis" or above was likely to increase to 22.8 million, about 35% more than during the same season in 2020/21; following the developments of August 2021 in the country, the international aid flows, an important element of public spending, were halted; the food security situation and agricultural livelihoods in the country is likely to significantly deteriorate in the coming months due to cumulative and cascading impact of multiple shocks, including weather, conflict, economic crisis and the lingering effects of the COVID‑19 pandemic (2022)

Land use

agricultural land

58.1% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 11.8% (2018)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 0.3% (2018)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 46% (2018)

forest

1.8% (2018 est.)

other

40.1% (2018)

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk

intermediate (2020)

food or waterborne diseases

bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

note

note: Afghanistan is one of two countries with endemic wild polio virus (the other is Pakistan) and considered high risk for international spread of the disease; before any international travel, anyone unvaccinated, incompletely vaccinated, or with an unknown polio vaccination status should complete the routine polio vaccine series; before travel to any high-risk destination, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that adults who previously completed the full, routine polio vaccine series receive a single, lifetime booster dose of polio vaccine

vectorborne diseases

Crimea-Congo hemorrhagic fever, malaria

Major lakes (area sq km)

salt water lake(s)

Ab-e Istadah-ye Muqur (endorheic basin) - 520 sq km

Major rivers (by length in km)

Amu Darya (shared with Tajikistan [s], Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan [m]) - 2,620 km; Helmand river source (shared with Iran) - 1,130 kmnote – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

Major watersheds (area sq km)

Indian Ocean drainage: Indus (1,081,718 sq km)Internal (endorheic basin) drainage: Amu Darya (534,739 sq km); Tarim Basin (1,152,448 sq km)

Revenue from coal

coal revenues

0.45% of GDP (2018 est.)

Revenue from forest resources

forest revenues

0.2% of GDP (2018 est.)

Total renewable water resources

65.33 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

Total water withdrawal

agricultural

20 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

industrial

169.5 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

municipal

203.4 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

3.34% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

26.9% of total population (2023)

Waste and recycling

municipal solid waste generated annually

5,628,525 tons (2016 est.)