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. The Taliban conducted an insurgency for two decades against the Afghan Government and international forces from the United States and other countries. In February 2020, the US and the Taliban signed an agreement that led to the withdrawal from Afghanistan of international forces in exchange for commitments on counterterrorism and other assurances. The Taliban seized control of Afghanistan on 15 August 2021.
land: 652,230 sq km
water: 0 sq km
border countries (6): China 91 km; Iran 921 km; Pakistan 2,670 km; Tajikistan 1,357 km; Turkmenistan 804 km; Uzbekistan 144 km
lowest point: Amu Darya 258 m
mean elevation: 1,884 m
arable land: 11.8% (2018)
permanent crops: 0.3% (2018)
permanent pasture: 46% (2018)
forest: 1.8% (2018 est.)
other: 40.1% (2018)
39,232,003 (2023 est.)
noun: Afghan(s)
adjective: Afghan
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
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)
Muslim 99.7% (Sunni 84.7 - 89.7%, Shia 10 - 15%), other <0.3% (2009 est.)
0-14 years: 39.8% (male 7,926,748/female 7,686,979)
15-64 years: 57.35% (male 11,413,654/female 11,084,665)
65 years and over: 2.85% (2023 est.) (male 515,147/female 604,810)
total dependency ratio: 84.6
youth dependency ratio: 80.2
elderly dependency ratio: 4.8
potential support ratio: 22.5 (2021 est.)
total: 19.9 years (2023 est.)
male: 19.8 years
female: 20 years
2.26% (2023 est.)
34.8 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
12.1 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)
-0.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)
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
urban population: 26.9% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 3.34% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
4.589 million KABUL (capital) (2023)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female
total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2023 est.)
19.9 years (2015 est.)
note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49
620 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
total: 103.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
male: 111.5 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 94.2 deaths/1,000 live births
total population: 54.1 years (2023 est.)
male: 52.5 years
female: 55.7 years
4.53 children born/woman (2023 est.)
2.21 (2023 est.)
18.9% (2018)
note: percent of women aged 12-49
improved: urban: 100% of population
rural: 68.3% of population
total: 76.5% of population 70.2%
unimproved: urban: 0% of population
rural: 31.7% of population
total: 23.5% of population (2020 est.)
15.5% of GDP (2020)
0.25 physicians/1,000 population (2020)
0.4 beds/1,000 population (2017)
improved: urban: 88.2% of population
rural: 52% of population
total: 61.4% of population
unimproved: urban: 11.8% of population
rural: 48% of population
total: 38.6% of population (2020 est.)
degree of risk: intermediate (2023)
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: Crimea-Congo hemorrhagic fever, malaria
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
5.5% (2016)
total: 0.01 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
beer: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits: 0.01 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
total: 23.3% (2020 est.)
male: 39.4% (2020 est.)
female: 7.2% (2020 est.)
19.1% (2018)
70.3% (2023 est.)
women married by age 15: 4.2%
women married by age 18: 28.3% (2017 est.)
2.9% of GDP (2020 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 37.3%
male: 52.1%
female: 22.6% (2021)
total: 10 years
male: 13 years
female: 8 years (2018)
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
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
arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers
agricultural land: 58.1% (2018 est.)
arable land: 11.8% (2018)
permanent crops: 0.3% (2018)
permanent pasture: 46% (2018)
forest: 1.8% (2018 est.)
other: 40.1% (2018)
urban population: 26.9% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 3.34% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
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)
0.2% of GDP (2018 est.)
0.45% of GDP (2018 est.)
particulate matter emissions: 62.49 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
carbon dioxide emissions: 8.67 megatons (2016 est.)
methane emissions: 90.98 megatons (2020 est.)
municipal solid waste generated annually: 5,628,525 tons (2016 est.)
salt water lake(s): Ab-e Istadah-ye Muqur (endorheic basin) - 520 sq km
Amu Darya (shared with Tajikistan [s], Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan [m]) - 2,620 km; Helmand river source (shared with Iran) - 1,130 km
note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
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)
municipal: 200 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
industrial: 170 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
agricultural: 20 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
65.33 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
extremely low-income South Asian economy; import drops, currency depreciation, disappearing central bank reserves, and increasing inflation after Taliban takeover; increasing Chinese trade; hit hard by COVID; ongoing sanctions
$60.803 billion (2021 est.)
$76.711 billion (2020 est.)
$78.558 billion (2019 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
-20.74% (2021 est.)
-2.35% (2020 est.)
3.91% (2019 est.)
$1,500 (2021 est.)
$2,000 (2020 est.)
$2,100 (2019 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
$20.24 billion (2017 est.)
2.3% (2019 est.)
0.63% (2018 est.)
4.98% (2017 est.)
agriculture: 23% (2016 est.)
industry: 21.1% (2016 est.)
services: 55.9% (2016 est.)
note: data exclude opium productioncomparison rankings:
household consumption: 81.6% (2016 est.)
government consumption: 12% (2016 est.)
investment in fixed capital: 17.2% (2016 est.)
investment in inventories: 30% (2016 est.)
exports of goods and services: 6.7% (2016 est.)
imports of goods and services: -47.6% (2016 est.)
wheat, milk, grapes, vegetables, potatoes, watermelons, melons, rice, onions, apples
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
-14.19% (2021 est.)
9.39 million (2021 est.)
13.28% (2021 est.)
11.71% (2020 est.)
11.22% (2019 est.)
total: 20.2% (2021 est.)
male: 18.6%
female: 26.4%
54.5% (2016 est.)
29.4 (2008)
lowest 10%: 3.8%
highest 10%: 24% (2008)
revenues: $5.093 billion (2019 est.)
expenditures: $5.293 billion (2019 est.)
-15.1% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
7% of GDP (2017 est.)
7.8% of GDP (2016 est.)
9.9% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
21 March - 20 March
-$3.137 billion (2020 est.)
-$3.792 billion (2019 est.)
-$3.897 billion (2018 est.)
$1.476 billion (2020 est.)
$1.516 billion (2019 est.)
$1.609 billion (2018 est.)
note: Data are in current year dollars and do not include illicit exports or re-exports.
United Arab Emirates 45%, Pakistan 24%, India 22%, China 1% (2019)
gold, figs, grapes, cotton, fruits and nuts, coal (2021)
note: Afghan opium production remains a significant illicit trade export
$6.983 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$7.371 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$7.988 billion (2018 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
United Arab Emirates 23%, Pakistan 17%, India 13%, Uzbekistan 7%, China 9% (2021)
wheat flours, broadcasting equipment, refined petroleum, rolled tobacco, aircraft parts, synthetic fabrics (2019)
$9.749 billion (31 December 2020 est.)
$8.498 billion (31 December 2019 est.)
$8.207 billion (31 December 2018 est.)
$284 million (FY10/11)
afghanis (AFA) per US dollar -
Exchange rates:
76.814 (2020 est.)
77.738 (2019 est.)
72.083 (2018 est.)
68.027 (2017 est.)
67.866 (2016 est.)
electrification - total population: 97.7% (2021)
electrification - urban areas: 99.5% (2021)
electrification - rural areas: 97% (2021)
installed generating capacity: 776,000 kW (2020 est.)
consumption: 5.913 billion kWh (2019 est.)
exports: 0 kWh (2019 est.)
imports: 4.912 billion kWh (2019 est.)
transmission/distribution losses: 61.6 million kWh (2019 est.)comparison rankings:
fossil fuels: 15.9% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
solar: 5.1% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
wind: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
hydroelectricity: 79.1% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
biomass and waste: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
production: 2.096 million metric tons (2020 est.)
consumption: 2.096 million metric tons (2020 est.)
exports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
imports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
proven reserves: 66 million metric tons (2019 est.)
total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2021 est.)
refined petroleum consumption: 24,300 bbl/day (2019 est.)
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.)
0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
34,210 bbl/day (2015 est.)
production: 80.193 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
consumption: 80.193 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
imports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
proven reserves: 49.554 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)
7.893 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from coal and metallurgical coke: 4.158 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from petroleum and other liquids: 3.468 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from consumed natural gas: 267,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
3.227 million Btu/person (2019 est.)
number of registered air carriers: 3 (2020)
inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 13
annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 1,722,612 (2018)
annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 29.56 million (2018) mt-km
YA
46 (2021)
29
note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
17
note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control
1 (2021)
466 km gas (2013)
total: 34,903 km (2017)
paved: 17,903 km (2017)
unpaved: 17,000 km (2017)
1,200 km (2011) (chiefly Amu Darya, which handles vessels up to 500 DWT)
river port(s): Hairatan, Qizil Qal`ah (Amu Darya)
manyapis