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South Asia
Page last updated: May 22, 2024
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. Internationally supported anti-communist mujahidin rebels forced the USSR to withdraw in 1989. A series of subsequent civil wars saw Kabul finally fall in 1996 to the Taliban, a hardline Pakistani-sponsored movement. Following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks, a US and Allied 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 2004, Hamid KARZAI became the first democratically elected president of Afghanistan, and he was reelected in 2009. Ashraf Ghani AHMADZAI succeeded him as president in 2014 following a disputed election. The Taliban conducted an insurgency for two decades against the Afghan Government and forces from the United States and other countries. In February 2020, the US and the Taliban signed an agreement that led to the withdrawal of international forces in exchange for commitments on counterterrorism and other assurances. The Taliban took over Afghanistan on 15 August 2021.
The Taliban established an all-male interim leadership structure dominated by Pashtun clerics under the leadership of Haivatrullah AKHUNDZADA. The Taliban issued numerous edicts that constrained women's mobility, ability to study and work, and access to education beyond primary school. To date, no country has recognized the Taliban as the government of Afghanistan.
Southern Asia, north and west of Pakistan, east of Iran
33°00' N, 65°00' E
Asia
Total: 652,230 km²
Land: 652,230 km²
Water: 0 km²
Almost six times the size of Virginia; slightly smaller than Texas
Area comparison map:
Total: 5,987 km
Border countries (6): China 91 km; Iran 921 km; Pakistan 2,670 km; Tajikistan 1,357 km; Turkmenistan 804 km; Uzbekistan 144 km
0 km (landlocked)
None (landlocked)
Arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers
Mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest
Highest point: Noshak 7,492 m
Lowest point: Amu Darya 258 m
Mean elevation: 1,884 m
Natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, chromite, talc, barites, sulfur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and semiprecious stones, arable land
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)
24,930 km² (2020)
Salt water lake(s): Ab-e Istadah-ye Muqur (endorheic basin) - 520 km²
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 km²)
Internal (endorheic basin) drainage: Amu Darya (534,739 km²); Tarim Basin (1,152,448 km²)
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
Damaging earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains; flooding; droughts
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)
Total: 40,121,552
Male: 20,301,066
Female: 19,820,486 (2024 est.)
Comparison rankings: female 37; male 37; total 36
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, Pashaie, 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%, Pashaie 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 1: percentages sum to more than 100% because many people are multilingual
Note 2: Uzbeki, Turkmani, Pashaie, Nuristani, Balochi, and Pamiri are the third official languages in areas where the majority speaks them
Muslim 99.7% (Sunni 84.7 - 89.7%, Shia 10 - 15%), other <0.3% (2009 est.)
0-14 years: 39.6% (male 8,062,407/female 7,818,897)
15-64 years: 57.5% (male 11,702,734/female 11,372,249)
65 years and over: 2.9% (2024 est.) (male 535,925/female 629,340)
2023 population pyramid:
Total dependency ratio: 84.6
Youth dependency ratio: 80.2
Elderly dependency ratio: 4.8
Potential support ratio: 22.5 (2021 est.)
Total: 20 years (2024 est.)
Male: 20 years
Female: 20.1 years
2.22% (2024 est.)
34.2 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
11.8 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
-0.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 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.)
Total population growth rate v. urban population growth rate, 2000-2030
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: 1.02 male(s)/female (2024 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: 101.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male: 109.7 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 92.5 deaths/1,000 live births
Total population: 54.4 years (2024 est.)
Male: 52.8 years
Female: 56.1 years
4.43 children born/woman (2024 est.)
2.16 (2024 est.)
18.9% (2018)
Note: percent of women aged 12-49
Improved: improved: urban: 100% of population
Improved: rural: 68.3% of population
Improved: total: 76.5% of population
Unimproved: unimproved: urban: 0% of population
Unimproved: rural: 31.7% of population
Unimproved: 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 (2024)
Vectorborne diseases: Crimea-Congo hemorrhagic fever
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.)
Total population growth rate v. urban population growth rate, 2000-2030
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 km²
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 km²)
Internal (endorheic basin) drainage: Amu Darya (534,739 km²); Tarim Basin (1,152,448 km²)
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.)
Conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (prior to 15 August 2021); current country name disputed
Conventional short form: Afghanistan
Local long form: Jamhuri-ye Islami-ye Afghanistan (prior to 15 August 2021; current country name is disputed)
Local 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"
Theocratic; the United States does not recognize the Taliban Government
Name: Kabul
Geographic coordinates: 34 31 N, 69 11 E
Time difference: UTC+4.5 (9.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Daylight saving time: does not observe daylight savings time
Etymology: named for the Kabul River, but the river's name is of unknown origin
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
19 August 1919 (from UK control over Afghan foreign affairs)
Previous: Independence Day, 19 August (1919); under the Taliban Government, 15 August (2022) is declared a national holiday, marking the anniversary of the victory of the Afghan jihad
History: several previous; latest ratified in 2004, but not currently enforced by the Taliban
The Taliban is implementing its own interpretation of Islamic law, which is partially based on the Hanifi school of Islamic jurisprudence and have enforced strict punishments; before the Taliban takeover, Afghanistan had a mixed legal system of civil, customary, and Islamic law
(2021)
Has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; formerly accepted ICCt jurisdiction
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
18 years of age; universal
Chief of state: overall Taliban Leader HAYBATULLAH Akhundzada serves as the head of the Taliban as Amir-ul Momineen and as such is seen by the Taliban as head of state; he resides and issues decrees from the city of Kandahar while the legacy government ministries operate from Kabul
Head of government: overall Taliban Leader HAYBATULLAH Akhundzada is the [so-called] Amir-ul Momineen of the Taliban and is seen by them as a head of government
Cabinet:
The Taliban have announced a “cabinet” for the “caretaker government,” including the “acting prime minister,” “acting deputy prime ministers,” and “ministers” who claim to represent 26 ministries
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, and the Taliban have given no indication that they intend to reinstate elections or any other mechanism of democratic governance
Note 1: the United States has not yet made a decision whether to recognize the Taliban or any other entity as the government of Afghanistan
Note 2: note - on 7 September 2021, the Taliban announced Mohammad HASSAN Akhund as the “acting prime minister” of the "caretaker government”; as of November 2021, the group had announced three "acting deputy prime ministers” - Abdul Ghani BARADER, Abdul Salam HANAFI, and Mohammad Abdul KABIR
Description: before August 2021, Afghanistan had a bicameral National Assembly that consisted of the House of Elders and House of the People; the parliament has been in hiatus since August 2021 and the Taliban have shown no interest in reviving it
Highest court(s): the Taliban are purported to have appointed clerics, including a "Chief Justice", to Afghanistan's Supreme Court
Subordinate courts: provincial courts, religious courts, and specialty courts
The Taliban Government enforces an authoritarian state and has banned other political parties; note - before 15 August 2021, the Ministry of Justice had licensed 72 political parties as of April 2019
The Taliban have banned other political parties but have allowed some party leaders, including the head of Hezb-e-Islami, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, to continue to live and work in Afghanistan; Hekmatyar likely continues to enjoy some political support from loyalists; leaders of other parties, including Jamiat-e-Islami’s Salahuddin Rabbani and Jumbesh’s Rashid Dostum, operate from abroad but likely also command some following within Afghanistan; note - before 15 August 2021, the Ministry of Justice had licensed 72 political parties as of April 2019
Afghanistan is a member of the following organizations but Taliban representatives do not participate: 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
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 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 2004
Note 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
Lion; national colors: red, green, black
Name: "Milli Surood" (National Anthem)
Lyrics/music: Abdul Bari JAHANI/Babrak WASA
Note: adopted 2006
Total World Heritage Sites: 2 (both cultural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales: Minaret of Jam; Buddhas of Bamyan
Note: the monumental 6th- and 7th-century statues were destroyed by the Taliban in 2001
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
$60.802 billion (2021 est.)
$76.711 billion (2020 est.)
$78.558 billion (2019 est.)
Note: data in 2017 dollars
-20.74% (2021 est.)
-2.35% (2020 est.)
3.91% (2019 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency
$1,500 (2021 est.)
$2,000 (2020 est.)
$2,100 (2019 est.)
Note: data in 2017 dollars
$14.266 billion (2021 est.)
Note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate
2.3% (2019 est.)
0.63% (2018 est.)
4.98% (2017 est.)
Note: annual % change based on consumer prices
Agriculture: 23% (2016 est.)
Industry: 21.1% (2016 est.)
Services: 55.9% (2016 est.)
Note: data exclude opium production
Comparison rankings: services 152; industry 137; agriculture 36
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, watermelons, grapes, potatoes, cantaloupes/melons, vegetables, rice, onions, apples (2022)
Note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
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
-12.81% (2021 est.)
Note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency
8.804 million (2022 est.)
Note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work
14.1% (2022 est.)
12.08% (2021 est.)
11.71% (2020 est.)
Note: % of labor force seeking employment
Total: 20.2% (2021 est.)
Male: 18.6%
Female: 26.4%
54.5% (2016 est.)
Note: % of population with income below national poverty line
29.4 (2008)
Lowest 10%: 3.8%
Highest 10%: 24% (2008)
2.1% of GDP (2021 est.)
3.95% of GDP (2020 est.)
4.41% of GDP (2019 est.)
Note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities
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.)
Note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP
-$3.137 billion (2020 est.)
-$3.792 billion (2019 est.)
-$3.897 billion (2018 est.)
Note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars
$1.476 billion (2020 est.)
$1.516 billion (2019 est.)
$1.609 billion (2018 est.)
Note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
Pakistan 57%, India 28%, China 3%, UAE 2%, Turkey 2% (2022)
Note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports
Coal, cotton, grapes, gum resins, nuts (2022)
Note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
$6.983 billion (2020 est.)
$7.371 billion (2019 est.)
$7.988 billion (2018 est.)
Note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
UAE 21%, Kazakhstan 17%, Pakistan 17%, China 9%, Uzbekistan 9% (2022)
Note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
Wheat, tobacco, palm oil, packaged medicine, rice (2022)
Note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
$9.749 billion (2020 est.)
$8.498 billion (2019 est.)
$8.207 billion (2018 est.)
Note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars
$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: installed generating capacity 140; transmission/distribution losses 46; imports 40; exports 131; consumption 119
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.)
Total subscriptions: 146,000 (2021 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: (2021 est.) less than 1
Total subscriptions: 22.678 million (2021 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 57 (2021 est.)
General assessment: Afghanistan's telecom sector is facing challenges providing adequate coverage to all of the population; prior to the Taliban regaining power, the World Bank and other donors supported the development of a nationwide fiber backbone and there is terrestrial cable connectivity to five neighboring countries; work on the 'Wakhan Corridor Fiber Optic Survey Project' to connect to China has faced obstacles because of Afghanistan's economic issues. (2021)
Domestic: before the Taliban takeover in August 2021, less than 1 per 100 for fixed-line teledensity; 57 per 100 for mobile-cellular subscriptions (2021)
International: country code - 93; multiple VSAT's provide international and domestic voice and data connectivity (2019)
Under the Taliban government, independent media outlets have decreased in number and are probably self-censoring criticism of the Taliban and the Ministry of Information and Culture monitors all mass media in Afghanistan; television and radio are key media platforms; only about a fifth of Afghans use the internet, mostly through smartphones (2023)
.af
Total: 7.02 million (2020 est.)
Percent of population: 18% (2020 est.)
Total: 26,570 (2020 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 0.1 (2020 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
67 (2024)
8 (2024)
466 km gas (2013)
Total: 34,903 km
Paved: 17,903 km
Unpaved: 17,000 km (2021)
1,200 km (2011) (chiefly Amu Darya, which handles vessels up to 500 DWT)
The Taliban claims authority over a Ministry of Defense and a National Army (aka Army of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Islamic Emirate Army, or Afghan Army); it has also formed police forces under a Ministry of Interior (2024)
3.3% of GDP (2019)
3.2% of GDP (2018)
3.3% of GDP (2017)
3.1% of GDP (2016)
2.9% of GDP (2015)
The Taliban claims that approximately 150,000 personnel had been recruited for a new National Army; it also claims that over 50,000 personnel had been trained for the police forces (2023)
Note: as of 2022, there were also up to 10,000 foreign fighters in Afghanistan, most of whom were aligned with the Taliban
The Taliban military/security forces are armed largely with US-provided equipment captured from the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (2023)
Service is voluntary; there is no conscription (2023)
Note: the Taliban dismissed nearly all women from the former Afghan National Defense and Security Forces, except those serving in detention facilities and assisting with body searches
The Taliban’s primary security threats include ISIS-Khorasan and anti-Taliban resistance elements known as the National Resistance Front and Afghanistan Freedom Front (2023)
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 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 border
Note 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
Refugees (country of origin): 59,486 (Pakistan) (mid-year 2022)
IDPs: 4.394 million (mostly Pashtuns and Kuchis displaced in the south and west due to natural disasters and political instability) (2022)
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 remained on Tier 3; the Taliban employed or recruited child soldiers and sex slaves (including bacha bazi – a practice where men, particular community leaders, government officials, and armed groups, exploit boys for social and sexual entertainment); the Taliban made no efforts to address or prevent labor and sex trafficking, nor did they identify or protect any victims; the Taliban continued to undermine the rights of women, minorities, and other vulnerable populations and hindered the work of NGOs, further exacerbating trafficking (2023)
Trafficking profile: human traffickers exploit domestic and foreign victims in Afghanistan and exploit Afghan victims abroad; most Afghan trafficking victims are children forced to work in carpet making, brick kilns, domestic servitude, sex trafficking, herding, begging, opium production and trade, salt mining, weapons trafficking, and truck driving; international experts indicate child labor increased after the Taliban takeover and estimate 25% of Afghan children are involved in child labor; some children are forced to migrate for work to other parts of Afghanistan or to Iran, Pakistan, or Turkey to support their families, and some are sold to traffickers to work as indentured servants; some families marry off underage daughters to receive a dowry payment, force children into labor with physical violence, or sell their children into sex trafficking; the Taliban and non-state armed groups, including ISIS-K, continue to recruit and use children in combat and support roles; the Taliban have detention facilities where they force detainees, including child and adult sex trafficking victims charged with “moral crimes,” into forced labor; sexual exploitation of boys, including bacha bazi, remains pervasive nationwide, and traffickers subject some boys to such exploitation abroad; restrictions on the movement of women and girls, and severely diminished access to employment and education, increase their vulnerability to trafficking; LGBTQI+ individuals are among the most vulnerable groups in Afghanistan under the Taliban; members of ethnic and religious minorities also are increasingly vulnerable to exploitation; Afghan men, women, and children seeking employment abroad, primarily in Iran, Pakistan, and Europe, are at risk of labor or sex trafficking; Afghan women and girls sold into marriage in Afghanistan, India, Iran, and Pakistan are exploited in sex trafficking and domestic servitude by their husbands (2023)
Note: The US has not recognized the Taliban or another entity as the government of Afghanistan. All references to “the pre-August 15, 2021 government” refer to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. References to the Taliban do not denote or imply that the US recognizes the Taliban as the government of Afghanistan. (2023)
The world’s largest supplier of opiates, but it is not a major supplier to the United States; 233,000 hectares (ha) of opium poppy cultivated in Afghanistan in 2022; opium from poppies used to produce morphine and heroin; also produces large quantities of methamphetamine, cannabis, and cannabis products such as hashish; one of the world’s largest populations suffering from substance abuse; major source of precursor or essential chemicals used in the production of illicit narcotics. (2022)