Afghanistan

Indian Ocean drainage:

Indus (1,081,718 sq km)

Internal (endorheic basin) drainage:

Amu Darya (534,739 sq km); Tarim Basin (1,152,448 sq km)

• 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)

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

total:

20 years (2024 est.)

male:

20 years

female:

20.1 years

• 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

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.)

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

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.)

women married by age 15:

4.2%

women married by age 18:

28.3% (2017 est.)

• 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

urban population:

26.9% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization:

3.34% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

severe localized food insecurity:

• due to civil conflict, population displacement, and economic slowdown - the latest analysis estimated the number of people in crisis or emergency food insecurity at 15.3 million people (35% of the population analyzed) between May and October 2023;
• although the levels of acute food insecurity have declined compared to the same season in 2022, largely due to seasonal improvements and the scale‑up of humanitarian assistance in 2022, the situation could deteriorate in areas where humanitarian assistance faces access constraints;
• the ban on women’s participation in the humanitarian response poses a challenge to the delivery of quality humanitarian assistance leading to significant additional access constraints, particularly to the most vulnerable, women and children (2023)

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.)

Indian Ocean drainage:

Indus (1,081,718 sq km)

Internal (endorheic basin) drainage:

Amu Darya (534,739 sq km); Tarim Basin (1,152,448 sq km)

municipal:

200 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

industrial:

170 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

agricultural:

20 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

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"

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

• 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)

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

chief of state:

Taliban Leader HAYBATULLAH Akhundzada (since 15 August 2021)

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: the United States has not yet made a decision whether to recognize the Taliban or any other entity as the government of Afghanistan

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

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

agriculture:

33.7% (2022 est.)

industry:

16.1% (2022 est.)

services:

45% (2022 est.)

note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

• 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

total:

18.1% (2023 est.)

male:

16.8% (2023 est.)

female:

30.4% (2023 est.)

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

production:

4.885 million metric tons (2022 est.)

consumption:

1.545 million metric tons (2022 est.)

exports:

3.343 million metric tons (2022 est.)

imports:

4,000 metric tons (2022 est.)

proven reserves:

66 million metric tons (2022 est.)

production:

80.2 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

consumption:

80.2 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

proven reserves:

49.554 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

total subscriptions:

146,000 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants:

(2021 est.) less than 1

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)

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

total:

34,903 km

paved:

17,903 km

unpaved:

17,000 km (2021)

• 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)

• the Taliban claims that the defense forces have approximately 150,000 personnel;
• it also claims that over 50,000 personnel had been trained for the police forces (2024)

• 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 2024, Afghanistan was assessed to be a place of global significance for terrorism, with approximately 20 designated and non-designated terrorist groups operating in the country

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 the Terrorism reference guide

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;
• for more details, go to: https://www.state.gov/reports/2024-trafficking-in-persons-report/afghanistan/

• 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)