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 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.


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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: Asia

Area
Total: 652,230 km²
Land: 652,230 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: almost six times the size of Virginia; slightly smaller than Texas

Land boundaries
Total: 5,987 km
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
Highest point: Noshak 7,492 m
Lowest point: Amu Darya 258 m
Mean elevation: 1,884 m

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

Land use
Agricultural land: 58.1% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land arable land: 11.8% (2018)
Agricultural land permanent crops: 0.3% (2018)
Agricultural land permanent pasture: 46% (2018)
Forest: 1.85% (2018 est.)
Other: 40.1% (2018)

Irrigated land: 32,080 km² (2012)

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 km


Major watersheds area km²: Indian Ocean drainage: Indus (1,081,718 km²)
Internal (endorheic basin) drainage: Amu Darya (534,739 km²); Tarim Basin (1,152,448 km²)

Total water withdrawal
Municipal: 203.4 million cubic meters (2017 est.)
Industrial: 169.5 million cubic meters (2017 est.)
Agricultural: 20 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

Total renewable water resources: 65.33 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

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
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: 37,466,414 (July 2021 est.)
Growth rate: 2.34% (2021 est.)
Below poverty line: 54.5% (2016 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Afghan(s)
Adjective: Afghan

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

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 samples:  کتاب حقایق جهان، مرجعی ضروری برای اطلاعات اولیە (Dari)

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

Demographic profile

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.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 88.8
Youth dependency ratio: 75.3
Elderly dependency ratio: 4.8
Potential support ratio: 21 (2020 est.)

Median age
Total: 19.5 years
Male: 19.4 years
Female: 19.5 years (2020 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.34% (2021 est.)

Birth rate: 36.08 births/1000 population (2021 est.)

Death rate: 12.57 deaths/1000 population (2021 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.1 migrant(s)/1000 population (2021 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

Urbanization
Urban population: 26.3% of total population (2021)
Rate of urbanization: 3.34% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 4.336 million KABUL (capital) (2021)

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

Air pollutants
Particulate matter emissions: 53.17 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 8.67 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 90.98 megatons (2020 est.)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
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: 0.85 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 19.9 years (2015 est.)
Note: median age at first birth among women 25-49

Maternal mortality ratio: 638 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 106.75 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 115.21 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 97.86 deaths/1000 live births (2021 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 53.25 years
Male: 51.73 years
Female: 54.85 years (2021 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.72 children born/woman (2021 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 18.9% (2018)

Drinking water source
Improved urban: 95.9% of population
Improved rural: 61.4% of population
Improved total: 70.2% of population
Unimproved urban: 3.2% of population
Unimproved rural: 38.6% of population
Unimproved total: 38.6% of population (2017 est.)

Current health expenditure: 9.4% (2018)

Physicians density: 0.28 physicians/1000 population (2016)

Hospital bed density: 0.4 beds/1000 population (2017)

Sanitation facility access
Improved urban: 83.6% of population
Improved rural: 43% of population
Improved total: 53.2% of population
Unimproved urban: 16.4% of population
Unimproved rural: 57% of population
Unimproved total: 46.8% of population (2017 est.)

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: <.1% (2020 est.)
People living with hivaids: 12,000 (2020 est.)
Deaths: <1,000 (2020 est.)

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: intermediate (2020)
Food or water borne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vector borne diseases: Crimea-Congo hemorrhagic fever, malaria

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 5.5% (2016)

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 19.1% (2018)

Education expenditures: 3.2% of GDP (2019)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 37.3%
Male: 52.1%
Female: 22.6% (2021)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 10 years
Male: 13 years
Female: 8 years (2018)

Youth unemployment


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

Government type: presidential Islamic republic

Capital
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

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
History: several previous; latest drafted 14 December 2003 - 4 January 2004, signed 16 January 2004, ratified 26 January 2004
Amendments: 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

Legal system: mixed legal system of civil, customary, and Islamic (sharia) law

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

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descentonly: at least one parent must have been born in - and continuously lived in - Afghanistan
Dual citizenship recognized: no
Residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: president (vacant); President Ashraf GHANI departed the country on 15 August 2021; CEO Abdullah ABDULLAH, Dr. (since 29 September 2014); First Vice President Abdul Rashid DOSTAM (since 29 September 2014); Second Vice President Sarwar DANESH (since 29 September 2014); First Deputy CEO Khyal Mohammad KHAN; Second Deputy CEO Mohammad MOHAQQEQ; note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
Head of government: president (vacant); President Ashraf GHANI departed the country on 15 August 2021; CEO Abdullah ABDULLAH, Dr. (since 29 September 2014); First Vice President Abdul Rashid DOSTAM (since 29 September 2014); Second Vice President Sarwar DANESH (since 29 September 2014); First Deputy CEO Khyal Mohammad KHAN; Second Deputy CEO Mohammad MOHAQQEQ
Cabinet: Cabinet consists of 25 ministers appointed by the president, approved by the National Assembly
Elections and appointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 28 September 2019
Election results: Ashraf GHANI declared winner by the Independent Election Commission on 18 February 2020; Ashraf GHANI 50.6%, Abdullah ABDULLAH, Dr. 39.5%, other 0.9%
Note: Ashraf GHANI left the country on 15 August 2021; on 7 September 2021, Mullah Mohammad HASSAN was announced as the head of an interim government

Legislative branch
Description: bicameral National Assembly consists of:
Meshrano Jirga or House of Elders (102 seats; 34 members indirectly elected by absolute majority vote in 2 rounds if needed by district councils to serve 3-year terms, 34 indirectly elected by absolute majority vote in 2 rounds if needed by provincial councils to serve 4-year terms, and 34 appointed by the president from nominations by civic groups, political parties, and the public, of which 17 must be women, 2 must represent the disabled, and 2 must be Kuchi nomads; presidential appointees serve 5-year terms)
Wolesi Jirga or House of People (250 seats, including 68 reserved for women; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote to serve 5-year terms)
Elections: Meshrano Jirga - district councils - within 5 days of installation; provincial councils - within 15 days of installation; presidential appointees - within 2 weeks after the presidential inauguration (last held 10 January 2015); note - in early 2016, President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani extended their mandate until parliamentary and district elections are held.
Wolesi Jirga - last held on 20 October 2018) (next to be held in 2023)
Election results: Meshrano Jirga - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; composition - men 85, women 17, percent of women 16.7%
Wolesi Jirga - percent of vote by party NA; seats by party - NA; composition - men 182, women 68, percent of women 27.2%; note - total National Assembly percent of women 24.1%
Note: the constitution allows the government to convene a constitutional Loya Jirga (Grand Council) on issues of independence, national sovereignty, and territorial integrity; it consists of members of the National Assembly and chairpersons of the provincial and district councils; a Loya Jirga can amend provisions of the constitution and prosecute the president; no constitutional Loya Jirga has ever been held, and district councils have never been elected; the president appointed 34 members of the Meshrano Jirga that the district councils should have indirectly elected

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Supreme Court or Stera Mahkama (consists of the supreme court chief and 8 justices organized into criminal, public security, civil, and commercial divisions or dewans)
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 72 political parties as of April 2019 

International organization participation: 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

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Adela RAZ (since July 2021)
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 email address and website:
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Ross WILSON (since 18 January 2020)
From the us embassy: Bibi Mahru, Kabul
From the us mailing address: 6,180 Kabul Place, Washington DC  20,521-6,180
From the us telephone: [00 93] (0) 700-10-8,000
From the us FAX: [00 93] (0) 700-108-564
From the us email address and website:

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: 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

National symbols: lion; national colors: red, green, black

National anthem
Name: 'Milli Surood' (National Anthem)
Lyrics and music: Abdul Bari JAHANI/Babrak WASA
Note: adopted 2006; the 2004 constitution of the post-Taliban government mandated that a new national anthem should be written containing the phrase 'Allahu Akbar' (God is Greatest) and mentioning the names of Afghanistan's ethnic groups

National heritage


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Economy overview

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate

Real gdp per capita: $2,000 - note: data are in 2017 dollars (2018 est.)
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use
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.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 23% (2016 est.)
Industry: 21.1% (2016 est.)
Services: 55.9% (2016 est.)
Note: data exclude opium production

Agriculture products: wheat, milk, grapes, vegetables, potatoes, watermelons, melons, rice, onions, apples

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: -1.9% (2016 est.)

Labor force: 8.478 million (2017 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 44.3%
By occupation industry: 18.1%
By occupation services: 37.6% (2017 est.)

Unemployment rate: 23.9% (2017 est.)

22.6% (2016 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 54.5% (2016 est.)

Gini index
Coefficient distribution of family income: 29.4 (2008)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest10%: 3.8%
Highest10%: 24% (2008)

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $2.276 billion (2017 est.)
Expenditures: $5.328 billion (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit: $-15.1% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Taxes and other revenues: 11.2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Public debt: 7% of GDP (2017 est.)

7.8% of GDP (2016 est.)

Revenue
From forest resources forest revenues: 0.2% of GDP (2018 est.)
From coal coal revenues: 0.45% of GDP (2018 est.)

Fiscal year: 21 December - 20 December

Inflation rate consumer prices: 5% (2017 est.)

4.4% (2016 est.)

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance: $1.014 billion (2017 est.)

$1.409 billion (2016 est.)

Exports: $1.61 billion - note: data are in current year dollars (2018 est.)
Note: not including illicit exports or reexports
Partners: United Arab Emirates 45%, Pakistan 24%, India 22%, China 1% (2019)
Commodities: gold, grapes, opium, fruits and nuts, insect resins, cotton, handwoven carpets, soapstone, scrap metal (2019)

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

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

$7.98 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2018 est.)
Partners: United Arab Emirates 23%, Pakistan 17%, India 13%, China 9%, United States 9%, Uzbekistan 7%, Kazakhstan 6% (2019)
Commodities: wheat flours, broadcasting equipment, refined petroleum, rolled tobacco, aircraft parts, synthetic fabrics (2019)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $7.187 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

$6.901 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

Debt external: $284 million (FY10/11)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Access electrification total population: 99% (2018)
Access electrification urban areas: 100% (2018)
Access electrification rural areas: 98% (2018)
Production: 1.211 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Consumption: 5.526 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Exports: 0 kWh (2016 est.)
Imports: 4.4 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Installed generating capacity: 634,100 kW (2016 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 45% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)
From nuclear fuels: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 52% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
From other renewable sources: 4% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Coal

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)

Crude oil
Exports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Imports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2018 est.)

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products consumption: 35,000 bbl/day (2016 est.)
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports: 34,210 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 164.2 million m³ (2017 est.)
Consumption: 164.2 million m³ (2017 est.)
Exports: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Imports: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Proven reserves: 49.55 billion m³ (1 January 2018 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 134,636
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: less than 1 (2019 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 22,580,071
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 63.18 (2019 est.)

Telephone system

Broadcast media: since the Taliban takeover in August 2021, independent media outlets have decreased in number and are probably self-censoring criticism of the Taliban; before 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 use the internet, mostly through smartphones (2021)

Internet
Country code: .af
Users total: 8.64 million (2021 est.)
Users percent of population: 13.5% (2019 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 19,683
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: less than 1 (2018 est.)


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Military expenditures: 1.2% of GDP (2019)

1% of GDP (2018)

0.9% of GDP (2017)

1% of GDP (2016)

1% of GDP (2015)

Military and security forces:

Military service age and obligation: not available

Space program

Terrorist groups: 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; Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps/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; Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan
Note: 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


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National air transport system
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 mt-km (2018)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: YA

Airports
Total: 46 (2020)
With paved runways total: 29
With paved runways over 3047 m: 4
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 8
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 12
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2
With paved runways under 914 m: 3 (2020)
With unpaved runways total: 17
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 7
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 4
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 5 (2020)

Heliports: 1 (2020)

Pipelines: 466 km gas (2013)

Railways

Roadways
Total: 34,903 km (2017)
Paved: 17,903 km (2017)
Unpaved: 17,000 km (2017)

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

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals
River ports: Kheyrabad, Shir Khan


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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 and since 2014 have met to discuss collaboration on the Taliban insurgency and counterterrorism efforts; 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
Refugees country of origin: 72,185 (Pakistan) (2020)
IDPs: 3.547 million (mostly Pashtuns and Kuchis displaced in the south and west due to natural disasters and political instability) (2020)

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 2019; also produces methamphetamine and cannabis products; one of the highest domestic substance abuse rates in the world