Map of Afghanistan | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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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 democracy ended in a 1973 coup and a 1978 communist counter-coup. 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 mujahedin 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 Osama BIN LADIN. The 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 the National Assembly was inaugurated the following December. KARZAI was re-elected in August 2009 for a second term. Despite gains toward building a stable central government a resurgent Taliban and continuing provincial instability - particularly in the south and the east - remain serious challenges for the Afghan Government.


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Location: Southern Asia north and west of Pakistan east of Iran

Geographic coordinates: 33 00 N 65 00 E

Map reference

Area
Rank: 41
Land: 652,230 km²
Water: 0 km²

Land boundaries
Border countries: (6) China 91 km; Iran 921 km; Pakistan 2,670 km; Tajikistan 1357 km; Turkmenistan 804 km; Uzbekistan 144 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers

Terrain: mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest

Elevation
Extremes highest point: Noshak 7,485 m

Natural resources: natural gas petroleum coal copper chromite talc barites sulfur lead zinc iron ore salt precious and semiprecious stones

Land use
Permanent crops: 0.18%
Other: 87.87% (2011)

Irrigated land: 32,080 km² (2003)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources: 65.33 km³ (2011)

Natural hazards: damaging earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains; flooding; droughts

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)


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Population: 31,822,848 (July 2014 est.)
Rank: 41
Growth rate: 2.29% (2014 est.)
Growth rate rank: 39
Below poverty line: 36% (FY08/09)

Nationality
Adjective: Afghan

Ethnic groups: Pashtun 42% Tajik 27% Hazara 9% Uzbek 9% Aimak 4% Turkmen 3% Baloch 2% other 4%

Languages: Afghan Persian or Dari (official) 50% Pashto (official) 35% Turkic languages (primarily Uzbek and Turkmen) 11% 30 minor languages (primarily Balochi and Pashai) 4% much bilingualism but Dari functions as the lingua franca

Religions: Sunni Muslim 80% Shia Muslim 19% other 1%

Demographic profile

Age structure
15-24 years: 22.2% (male 3,600,264/female 3,464,781)
25-54 years: 29.4% (male 4,771,323/female 4,586,963)
55-64 years: 3.9% (male 603,197/female 622,539)
65 years and over: 2.5% (male 371,753/female 428,808) (2014 est.)

Dependency ratios
Youth dependency ratio: 88.4 %
Elderly dependency ratio: 4.6 %
Potential support ratio: 21.5 (2014 est.)

Median age
Male: 18.1 years
Female: 18.2 years (2014 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.29% (2014 est.)
Rank: 39

Birth rate: 38.84 births/1000 population (2014 est.)
Rank: 10

Death rate: 14.12 deaths/1000 population (2014 est.)
Rank: 7

Net migration rate: -1.83 migrant(s)/1000 population (2014 est.)
Rank: 163

Population distribution

Urbanization
Rate of urbanization: 4.41% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: KABUL (capital) 3.097 million (2011)

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
International agreements signed but not ratified: Hazardous Wastes Law of the Sea Marine Life Conservation

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
0-14 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2014 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 20.1

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Rank: 1
Male: 124.89 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 109.18 deaths/1000 live births (2014 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Rank: 220
Male: 49.17 years
Female: 51.88 years (2014 est.)

Total fertility rate: 5.43 children born/woman (2014 est.)
Rank: 9

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 21.8% (2010)

Drinking water source: total: 35.8% of population (2012 est.)

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 0.19 physicians/1000 population (2010)

Hospital bed density: 0.4 beds/1000 population (2010)

Sanitation facility access: total: 71% of population (2012 est.)

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2012 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 123
People living with hivaids: 4,300 (2012 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 125
Deaths: 300 (2012 est.)
Deaths rank: 102

Major infectious diseases
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea hepatitis A and typhoid fever
Vectorborne disease: malaria
Animal contact disease: rabies

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 2.2% (2008)
Rank: 182

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 32.9% (2004)
Rank: 9

Education expenditures: NA

Literacy
Total population: 28.1%
Male: 43.1%
Female: 12.6% (2000 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Male: 11 years
Female: 7 years (2011)

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional short form: Afghanistan
Local long form: Jamhuri-ye Islami-ye Afghanistan
Local short form: Afghanistan
Former: Republic of Afghanistan

Government type: Islamic republic

Capital
Geographic coordinates: 34 31 N 69 11 E
Time difference: UTC+4.5 (9.5 hours ahead of Washington DC during Standard Time)

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

Dependent areas

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

National holiday: Independence Day 19 August (1919)

Constitution: several previous; latest drafted 14 December 2003 - 4 January 2004 signed 16 January 2004 ratified 26 January 2004 (2012)

Legal system: mixed legal system of civil customary and Islamic law

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Head of government: President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Hamid KARZAI (since 7 December 2004); First Vice President Yunis QANUNI (March 2014); Second Vice President Abdul Karim KHALILI (since 7 December 2004)
Cabinet: 25 ministers; note - ministers are appointed by the president and approved by the National Assembly
Elections: the president is elected by direct vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); if no candidate receives 50% or more of the vote in the first round of voting the two candidates with the most votes will participate in a second round; first round of last election held on 5 April 2014 (second round held on 14 June 2014)
Election results: first round results - Abdullah ABDULLAH 45% Ashraf GHANI Ahmadzai 31.6% Zalmai RASOUL 11.4% other 12%; second round results - expected on 22 July

Legislative branch: the bicameral National Assembly consists of the Meshrano Jirga or House of Elders (102 seats two-thirds of members elected from provincial councils for four-year terms and one-third nominated by the president for five-year terms) and the Wolesi Jirga or House of People (no more than 250 seats; members directly elected for five-year terms)
Elections: last held on 18 September 2010 (next expected in 2015)
Election results: results by party - NA; note - ethnicity is the main factor influencing political alliances; approximate percentage of seats by ethnic group - Pashtun 39% Hazara 24% Tajik 21% Uzbek 6% other 10% (including Aimak Arab Baloch Nuristani Pahhai Turkmen Turkic); women hold 69 seats

Judicial branch
Judge selection and term of office: court chief and justices appointed by the president with the approval of the Wolesi Jirga; court chief and justices serve single 10-year terms
Subordinate courts: Appeals Courts; Primary Courts; Special Courts for issues including narcotics security property family and juveniles

Political parties and leaders: note - the Ministry of Justice licensed 84 political parties as of December 2012

International organization participation: ADB CICA CP ECO EITI (candidate country) FAO G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC (NGOs) ICRM IDA IDB IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO (correspondent) ITSO ITU MIGA MINUSMA NAM OIC OPCW OSCE (partner) SAARC SACEP SCO (observer) UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNWTO UPU WCO WFTU (NGOs) WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chancery: 2,341 Wyoming Avenue NW Washington DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 483-6,410
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 483-6,488
In the us consulate general: Los Angeles New York
From the us embassy: The Great Masood Road Kabul
From the us mailing address: U.S. Embassy Kabul APO AE 9,806
From the us telephone: [93] 0700 108 001
From the us FAX: [93] 0700 108 564

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 two bands; the center of the emblem features a mosque with pulpit and flags on either side below the mosque are 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

National symbols: lion

National anthem
Lyrics and music: Abdul Bari JAHANI/Babrak WASA

National heritage


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Economy overview: Afghanistan's economy is recovering from decades of conflict. The economy has improved significantly since the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001 largely because of the infusion of international assistance the recovery of the agricultural sector and service sector growth. Despite the progress of the past few years Afghanistan is extremely poor landlocked and highly dependent on foreign aid. Much of the population continues to suffer from shortages of housing clean water electricity medical care and jobs. Criminality insecurity weak governance lack of infrastructure and the Afghan Government's difficulty in extending rule of law to all parts of the country pose challenges to future economic growth. Afghanistan's living standards are among the lowest in the world. The international community remains committed to Afghanistan's development pledging over $67 billion at nine donors' conferences between 2003-10. In July 2012 the donors at the Tokyo conference pledged an additional $16 billion in civilian aid through 2015. Despite this help the Government of Afghanistan will need to overcome a number of challenges including low revenue collection anemic job creation high levels of corruption weak government capacity and poor public infrastructure. Afghanistan's growth rate slowed markedly in 2013.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $30.45 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 101

Real gdp growth rate: 6.1% (2011 est.)
Rank: 110

Real gdp per capita

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use
Government consumption: 23.3%
Investment in fixed capital: 25.4%
Investment in inventories: 0%
Exports of goods and services: 18.1%
Imports of goods and services: -63.4%: (2011 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Industry: 25.6%
Services: 54.4%

Agriculture products: opium wheat fruits nuts; wool mutton sheepskins lambskins

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

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Labor force: 7.512 million (2012 est.)
Rank: 62
By occupation industry: 5.7%
By occupation services: 15.7% (FY08/09 est.)

Unemployment rate: 40% (2005 est.)
Rank: 187

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 36% (FY08/09)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Highest 10: 24% (2008)

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Expenditures: $4.122 billion (2012 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -8.7% of GDP (2012 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 200

Taxes and other revenues: 11.3% of GDP (2012 est.)
Rank: 207

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: 21 December - 20 December

Inflation rate consumer prices: 5.7% (2011 est.)
Rank: 185

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 15.15% (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 36

Stock of narrow money: $5.928 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 95

Stock of broad money: $6.351 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 119

Stock of domestic credit: $-520.2 million (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 184

Market value of publicly traded shares: $N/A

Current account balance: -$736 million (2010 est.)
Rank: 114

Exports: $388.5 million (2011 est.)
Rank: 180
Commodities: opium fruits and nuts handwoven carpets wool cotton hides and pelts precious and semi-precious gems
Partners: Pakistan 32.2% India 27% Tajikistan 8.5% US 6.2% (2012)

Imports: $5.154 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 118
Commodities: machinery and other capital goods food textiles petroleum products
Partners: Pakistan 24.3% US 18% Russia 8.7% India 5.8% China 5.6% Germany 4.4% (2012)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $5.268 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 88

Debt external: $2.7 billion (FY08/09)
Rank: 154

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: 46.45 (2010)


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Electricity
Production: 986.1 million kWh (2010 est.)
Production rank: 146
Consumption: 2.489 billion kWh (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 135
Exports: 0 kWh (2012 est.)
Exports rank: 95
Imports: 1.572 billion kWh (2010 est.)
Imports rank: 57
Installed generating capacity: 489,100 kW (2010 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 140
Generation sources fossil fuels: 23.5% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 188
From nuclear fuels: 0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
From nuclear fuels rank: 34
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 76.5% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 17
From other renewable sources: 0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
From other renewable sources rank: 148

Coal

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 1950 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Total petroleum production rank: 106

Crude oil
Exports: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Exports rank: 77
Imports: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Imports rank: 149
Proven reserves: NA bbl (1 January 2013 est.)

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products production rank: 117
Products consumption: 4,229 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Products consumption rank: 174
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products exports rank: 148
Products imports: 36,250 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products imports rank: 83

Natural gas
Production: 140 million m³ (2011 est.)
Production rank: 81
Consumption: 140 million m³ (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 104
Exports: 0 m³ (2011 est.)
Exports rank: 55
Imports: 0 m³ (2011 est.)
Imports rank: 150
Proven reserves: 49.55 billion m³ (1 January 2013 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 65

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 6.589 million Mt (2011 est.)

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 13,500 (2012)
Main lines in use rank: 198
Mobile cellular: 18 million (2012)
Mobile cellular rank: 55

Telephone system
Domestic: aided by the presence of multiple providers mobile-cellular telephone service continues to improve rapidly; the Afghan Ministry of Communications and Information claims that more than 90 percent of the population live in areas with access to mobile-cellular services
International: country code - 93; multiple VSAT's provide international and domestic voice and data connectivity (2012)

Broadcast media: state-owned broadcaster Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA) operates a series of radio and television stations in Kabul and the provinces; an estimated 150 private radio stations 50 TV stations and about a dozen international broadcasters are available (2007)

Internet
Country code: .af
Hosts: 223 (2012)
Hosts rank: 199
Users: 1 million (2009)
Users rank: 101

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures: NA% (2010)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18 is the legal minimum age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2012)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 52 (2013)
Rank: 91
With paved runways over 3047 m: 4
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 4
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 11
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2
With paved runways under 914 m: 2 (2013)
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 4
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 13
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 6
With unpaved runways: 6 (2013)

Heliports: 9 (2013)

Pipelines: gas 466 km (2013)

Railways

Roadways
Rank: 85
Paved: 12,350 km
Unpaved: 29,800 km (2006)

Waterways: 1200 km; (chiefly Amu Darya which handles vessels up to 500 DWT) (2011)
Rank: 59

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: Afghan Coalition and Pakistan military meet periodically to clarify the alignment of the boundary on the ground and on maps; Afghan and Iranian commissioners have discussed boundary monument densification and resurvey; Iran protests Afghanistan's restricting flow of dammed Helmand River tributaries during drought; Pakistan has sent troops across and built fences along some remote tribal areas of its treaty-defined Durand Line border with Afghanistan which serve as bases for foreign terrorists and other illegal activities; Russia remains concerned about the smuggling of poppy derivatives from Afghanistan through Central Asian countries

Refugees and internally displaced persons
IDPs: 667,158 (mostly Pashtuns and Kuchis displaced in the south and west due to drought and instability) (2014)

Illicit drugs: world's largest producer of opium; poppy cultivation increased 57 percent from 115,000 hectares in 2011 to 180,000 hectares in 2012; despite the increase in area under cultivation the effects of poor weather and crop disease resulted in lower yield so potential opium production remained stable at 4,300 mt in 2012 compared to 4,400 mt in 2011; the Taliban and other antigovernment groups participate in and profit from the opiate trade which is a key source of revenue for the Taliban inside Afghanistan; widespread corruption and instability impede counterdrug efforts; most of the heroin consumed in Europe and Eurasia is derived from Afghan opium; Afghanistan is also struggling to respond to a burgeoning domestic opiate addiction problem; vulnerable to drug money laundering through informal financial networks; regional source of hashish (2013)