Afghanistan

Government
Name	Islamic Republic of Aghanistan
Pashto	د أفغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت Da Afġānistān Islāmī Jomhouriyet
Dari	جمهوری اسلامی أفغانستان Jomhūrī-ye Eslāmī-ye Afġānestān
Government type	Presidential Islamic republic
Capital	Kabul (4,273,200 (2020))
Currency	Afghani (AFN)
Organization
Member State	South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)
Observer State	Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)
People
Population (2020)	38,928,346 (39th)
Density of population	60 P/km2
Nationality	Afghan
Official languages1
Dari	77%
Pashto	48%
Ethnic groups
Pashtun	42%
Tajik	27%
Hazara	9%
Uzbek	9%
Aimaq	4%
Turkmen	3%
Baloch	2%
Others	4%
Religion
Muslim	99.7%
Sunni	84.7 – 89.7%
Shia	10 – 15%)
Other	0.3%
Life expectancy (2020)
Male	51.4 years
Female	54.4 years
Total population	52.8 years (228th)
Homicides
Total (2018)	6.7 per 100,000 people (49th)
Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Male	55.5%
Female	29.8%
Total population	43%
Geography
Land area	652,230 km2
water area	0 km2
total area	652,230 km2 (42th)
Mean elevation	1,884 m
Lowest point
Amu Darya	258 m
Highest point
Noshak	7,492 m
Land use (2016)
Agricultural land	58.1%
Arable land	11.8%
Permanent crops	0.3%
Permanent pasture	46%
Forest	2.07%
Other	39%
Urbanization
Urban population (2020)	26%
Rate of urbanization	3.37% annual rate of change (2015 – 2020)
Economy
Labor force (2017)	8.478 million  (61th)
Agriculture	44.3%
Industry	18.1%
Services	37.6%
Unemployment rate (2017)	23.9% (194th)
GDP (PPP) (estimate 2018)
Total	$72.911 billion (96th)
Per capita	$2,024 (169th)
GDP (nominal) (estimate 2018)
Total	$21.657 billion (111st)
Per capita	$601 (177th)
GDP by sector (estimate 2016)
Agriculture	23%
Industrie	21.1%
Services	55.9%
Exports (2017)	$784 million (170th)
Exports partners (2017)
India	56.5%
Pakistan	29.6%
Imports (2017)	$7.616 billion (113th)
Imports partners (2017)
China	21%
Iran	20.5%
Pakistan	11.8%
Kazakhstan	11%
Uzbekistan	6.8%
Malaysia	5.3%

Afghanistan on the world map

States and political map of Afghanistan

Afghanistan is a landlocked country.  It is bordered by Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan to the north, Iran to the west, and Pakistan to the south and east. Finally, a little part of the east is in contact with China.

Afghanistan has 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.

Physical map of Afghanistan

Cities, Railroads and road map of Afghanistan

Afghanistan top 10 largest cities (2019)

1. Kabul: 4,273,200
2. Kandahar: 614,300
3. Herat: 556,200
4. Mazar-i-Sharif: 469,200
5. Kunduz: 356,500
6. Jalalabad: 263,200
7. Taloqan: 253,700
8. Puli Khumri: 237,900
9. Ghazni: 183,000
10. Khost: 153,300

Demography

Population pyramid

Age structure

Estimation for 2020:

• 0-14 years (children): 40.62% (male 7,562,703/female 7,321,646)
• 15-24 years (early working age): 21.26% (male 3,960,044/female 3,828,670)
• 25-54 years (prime working age): 31.44% (male 5,858,675/female 5,661,887)
• 55-64 years (mature working age): 4.01% (male 724,597/female 744,910)
• 65 years and over (elderly): 2.68% (male 451,852/female 528,831)

Remark: the age structure of a population affects a nation’s key socioeconomic issues. Countries with young populations (high percentage under age 15) need to invest more in schools, while countries with older populations (high percentage ages 65 and over) need to invest more in the health sector. The age structure can also be used to help predict potential political issues. For example, the rapid growth of a young adult population unable to find employment can lead to unrest.

Population from 1950 to 2020

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Source: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2019). World Population Prospects 2019, Online Edition. Rev. 1.

Evolution of the life expectancy from 1960 to 2018

CC BY

Source: World Development Indicators, The World Bank

Economy

Agriculture:

opium, wheat, fruits, nuts, wool, mutton, sheepskins, lambskins, poppies

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

Exports – commodities:

opium, fruits and nuts, handwoven carpets, wool, cotton, hides and pelts, precious and semi-precious gems, and medical herbs

Imports – commodities:

machinery and other capital goods, food, textiles, petroleum products

Time in Afghanistan

Go to our interactive map to get the current time in Afghanistan.