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.

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 1,357 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: 1.8% (2018 est.)
Other: 40.1% (2018)

Irrigated land: 24,930 km² (2020)

Major watersheds area km²:

Total water withdrawal
Municipal: 200 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Industrial: 170 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Agricultural: 20 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

Total renewable water resources: 65.33 billion cubic meters (2020 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)

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: 39,232,003 (2023 est.)
Growth rate: 2.26% (2023 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: Muslim 99.7% (Sunni 84.7 - 89.7%, Shia 10 - 15%), other <0.3% (2009 est.)

Age structure
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)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 84.6
Youth dependency ratio: 80.2
Elderly dependency ratio: 4.8
Potential support ratio: 22.5 (2021 est.)

Median age
Total: 19.9 years (2023 est.)
Male: 19.8 years
Female: 20 years

Population growth rate: 2.26% (2023 est.)

Birth rate: 34.8 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate: 12.1 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 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: 26.9% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 3.34% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 4.589 million KABUL (capital) (2023)

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: 62.49 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 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
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

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

Maternal mortality ratio: 620 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Infant mortality rate
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

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 54.1 years (2023 est.)
Male: 52.5 years
Female: 55.7 years

Total fertility rate: 4.53 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 18.9% (2018)
Note: percent of women aged 12-49

Drinking water source
Improved urban: 100% of population
Improved rural: 68.3% of population
Improved total: 76.5% of population 70.2%
Unimproved urban: 0% of population
Unimproved rural: 31.7% of population
Unimproved total: 23.5% of population (2020 est.)

Current health expenditure: 15.5% of GDP (2020)

Physicians density: 0.25 physicians/1,000 population (2020)

Hospital bed density: 0.4 beds/1,000 population (2017)

Major infectious diseases
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

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 5.5% (2016)

Alcohol consumption
Per capita total: 0.01 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita beer: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita wine: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita spirits: 0.01 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita other alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Tobacco use
Total: 23.3% (2020 est.)
Male: 39.4% (2020 est.)
Female: 7.2% (2020 est.)

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

Education expenditures: 2.9% of GDP (2020 est.)

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
Rate ages 15 24 total: 20.2% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 18.6%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 26.4%

Country name
Conventional long form: formerly Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
Conventional short form: Afghanistan
Local long form: formerly Jamhuri-ye Islami-ye Afghanistan
Local short form: Afghanistan
Former: Islamic 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: theocratic; the United States does not recognize the Taliban Government

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

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

National holiday:

Constitution
History: several previous; latest ratified in 2004, suspended by the Taliban after taking over the country in 2021

Legal system: the Taliban is implementing its own interpretation of Islamic law, which partially based on the Hanifi school of Islamic jurisprudence; before the Taliban takeover, Afghanistan had a mixed legal system of civil, customary, and Islamic law

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

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

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state:
Head of government: Overall Taliban Leader HAYBATULLAH Akhundzada serves as the head of the Taliban government as Amir-ul Momineen
Cabinet: includes the acting prime minister, acting deputy prime ministers, and 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

Legislative branch
Description: the Taliban Government has not announced the formation of a legislative branch; before the 2021 Taliban takeover, Afghanistan had a bicameral National Assembly that consisted of the House of Elders and House of the People

Judicial branch
Highest courts: the Taliban Government has a Supreme Court: number of judges and organizational structure NA; note - before 15 August 2021, Afghanistan had a Supreme Court (consisting of a supreme court chief and 8 justices organized into criminal, public security, civil, and commercial divisions)
Judge selection and term of office: the Taliban Supreme Court judge selection and term of office NA; note - before 15 August 2021, the Supreme Court chief and justices were appointed by the president with the approval of the Wolesi Jirga; court chief and justices served single 10-year terms
Subordinate courts:

Political parties and leaders: 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

International organization participation: member of the following organizations but cannot participate because the international community does not recognize the Taliban Government: 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: none; note - the Afghan Embassy closed in March 2022
From the us chief of mission: the United States does not maintain a presence in Afghanistan and bases the Department of State's Afghanistan Affairs Unit in Doha, Qatar; note - the US Embassy in Kabul closed in August 2021
From the us embassy: Embassy Kabul, operations have been suspended; Department of State’s Afghanistan Affairs Unit operates from Doha, Qatar.

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 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

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

National anthem
Name: "Milli Surood" (National Anthem)
Lyrics/music: Abdul Bari JAHANI/Babrak WASA
Note: adopted 2006

National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites: 2 (both cultural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales:

Economy overview: 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

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real gdp growth rate:

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

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: -14.19% (2021 est.)

Labor force: 9.39 million (2021 est.)

Unemployment rate:

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 20.2% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 18.6%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 26.4%

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
Lowest 10%: 3.8%
Highest 10%: 24% (2008)

Budget
Revenues: $5.093 billion (2019 est.)
Expenditures: $5.293 billion (2019 est.)
Surplus  or deficit: -15.1% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Taxes and other revenues: 9.9% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Public debt:

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

Fiscal year: 21 March - 20 March

Inflation rate consumer prices:

Current account balance:

Exports:
Note: Data are in current year dollars and do not include illicit exports or re-exports.
Partners: United Arab Emirates 45%, Pakistan 24%, India 22%, China 1% (2019)
Commodities: gold, figs, grapes, cotton, fruits and nuts, coal (2021)
Commodities note: Afghan opium production remains a significant illicit trade export

Imports:
Partners: United Arab Emirates 23%, Pakistan 17%, India 13%, Uzbekistan 7%, China 9% (2021)
Commodities: wheat flours, broadcasting equipment, refined petroleum, rolled tobacco, aircraft parts, synthetic fabrics (2019)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

Debt external: $284 million (FY10/11)

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Access electrification-total population: 97.7% (2021)
Access electrification-urban areas: 99.5% (2021)
Access 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.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 15.9% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources solar: 5.1% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources wind: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 79.1% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

Coal
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.)

Petroleum
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.)

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

Natural gas
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.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 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.)

Energy consumption per capita: 3.227 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 145,787 (2021 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: (2021 est.) less than 1
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 23 million (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 57 (2021 est.)

Broadcast media: 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)

Internet
Country code: .af
Users total: 7.02 million (2020 est.)
Users percent of population: 18% (2020 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 26,570 (2020 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 0.1 (2020 est.)

Military expenditures:

Military and security forces: the Taliban has established a de facto 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 a ministry of interior with a subordinate police force (2023)

Military service age and obligation: not available
Note: the Taliban dismissed nearly all women from the former Afghan Government security forces, except those serving in detention facilities and assisting with body searches 

Terrorist groups
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 (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 terrorist organizations

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 (2018) mt-km

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: YA

Airports: 46 (2021)
With paved runways: 29
With paved runways 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.)
With unpaved runways: 17
With unpaved runways 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

Heliports: 1 (2021)

Pipelines: 466 km gas (2013)

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

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

Ports and terminals
River ports: Hairatan, Qizil Qal`ah (Amu Darya)

Disputes international:

Refugees and internally displaced persons
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)

Illicit drugs: 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)