ASIA & MIDDLE EAST · COUNTRY REFERENCE
Afghanistan
Written and compiled by American Business Capital Group Inc.
Selected country or entityMap: Natural Earth ↗
ANNUAL ECONOMIC SNAPSHOT
Population & economic scale
The most recent non-empty observations returned by the World Bank when this snapshot was collected. Read the year on each card: these are annual statistics, not live measurements.
World Bank reporting entity: Afghanistan · 3 of 3 indicators available.
Population
43,844,111
people
observation
Definition, value & source
Total population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship. The values shown are midyear estimates.
Received value: 43844111 people. The main card rounds for readability.
- Collected
- Oct 7, 2026
- Dataset update reported by API
- Jul 13, 2026; separate from the observation year
World Bank indicator ↗ · API record ↗
World Bank, World Development Indicators. CC BY 4.0. Underlying sources: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), uri: https://population.un.org/wpp/, publisher: UN Population Division; Statistical databases and publications from national statistical offices, National Statistical Offices (NSOs), uri: https://unstats.un.org/home/nso_sites/, publisher: National Statistical Offices; Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, Eurostat (ESTAT), uri: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/data/database?node_code=earn_ses_monthly, publisher: Eurostat; Population and Vital Statistics Report (various years), United Nations (UN), uri: https://unstats.un.org, publisher: UN Statistics Division
GDP
$17.78 billion
current US$
observation
Definition, value & source
Gross domestic product is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period. It can be measured in three different ways: using either the expenditure approach, the income approach, or the production approach. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.
Received value: 17778508875.7396 current US$. The main card rounds for readability.
- Collected
- Oct 7, 2026
- Dataset update reported by API
- Jul 13, 2026; separate from the observation year
World Bank indicator ↗ · API record ↗
World Bank, World Development Indicators. CC BY 4.0. Underlying sources: Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks; National Accounts data files, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); Staff estimates, World Bank (WB)
GDP per capita
$417
current US$ per person
observation
Definition, value & source
Gross domestic product is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period. It can be measured in three different ways: using either the expenditure approach, the income approach, or the production approach. The core indicator has been divided by the general population to achieve a per capita estimate.This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.
Received value: 416.871146273728 current US$ per person. The main card rounds for readability.
- Collected
- Oct 7, 2026
- Dataset update reported by API
- Jul 13, 2026; separate from the observation year
World Bank indicator ↗ · API record ↗
World Bank, World Development Indicators. CC BY 4.0. Underlying sources: Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks; National Accounts data files, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); Staff estimates, World Bank (WB)
GDP and GDP per capita use current US dollars, without an inflation or purchasing-power-parity adjustment. Source years can differ. Missing data is not zero; earlier archive figures below are retained as a separate historical reference.
THE REFERENCE FILE
Afghanistan at a glance
These are historical reference facts from the 2025 World Factbook archive. Each estimate keeps its own period; an archive edition does not make every figure a measurement from that year.
Government type
theocratic; the United States does not recognize the Taliban Government
Population
total: 49,474,805 (2025 est.) male: 25,051,967 female: 24,422,838
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
$82.238 billion (2023 est.) $80.416 billion (2022 est.) $85.768 billion (2021 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars
GDP (official exchange rate)
$17.152 billion (2023 est.) note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate
Real GDP growth rate
2.3% (2023 est.) -6.2% (2022 est.) -20.7% (2021 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency
Real GDP per capita
$2,000 (2023 est.) $2,000 (2022 est.) $2,100 (2021 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
-6.6% (2024 est.) -4.6% (2023 est.) 13.7% (2022 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices
Unemployment rate
13.3% (2024 est.) 14% (2023 est.) 14.1% (2022 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment
Labor force
9.133 million (2024 est.) note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work
Budget
revenues: $9.093 billion (2017 est.) expenditures: $7.411 billion (2017 est.) note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenses converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated
Current account balance
-$3.137 billion (2020 est.) -$3.792 billion (2019 est.) -$3.897 billion (2018 est.) note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars
Exports
$1.476 billion (2020 est.) $1.516 billion (2019 est.) $1.609 billion (2018 est.) note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
Imports
$6.983 billion (2020 est.) $7.371 billion (2019 est.) $7.988 billion (2018 est.) note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$9.749 billion (2020 est.) $8.498 billion (2019 est.) $8.207 billion (2018 est.) note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars
Debt - external
$2.717 billion (2023 est.) note: present value of external debt in current US dollars
Electricity access
electrification - total population: 85.3% (2022 est.) electrification - urban areas: 95.9% electrification - rural areas: 81.7%
Internet users
percent of population: 18% (2023 est.)
THE HISTORICAL REFERENCE LIBRARY
Explore the country in detail
Browse the economy, population, resources and infrastructure. These archived descriptions keep their original wording and dates; they have not been updated to describe current conditions.
30 of 30 sections
Location
Southern Asia, north and west of Pakistan, east of Iran
archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
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
archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Economic overview
low-income South Asian economy; economy stable after major contraction due to Taliban takeover, but recovery remains fragile; widespread poverty and obstacles to human development; import-reliant for food, fuel, and machinery; ongoing sanctions, suspended development aid, and frozen reserve assets
archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Natural resources
natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, chromite, talc, barites, sulfur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and semiprecious stones, arable land
archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Agricultural products
wheat, milk, grapes, watermelons, potatoes, cantaloupes/melons, vegetables, rice, onions, maize (2023) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
2023 source periods; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
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
archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Exports - partners
Pakistan 42%, India 40%, China 4%, UAE 2%, Turkey 2% (2023) note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports
2023 source periods; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Exports - commodities
coal, grapes, tropical fruits, gum resins, other nuts (2023) note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
2023 source periods; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Imports - partners
UAE 28%, Pakistan 15%, China 15%, Uzbekistan 12%, Kazakhstan 9% (2023) note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
2023 source periods; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Imports - commodities
wheat flours, tobacco, palm oil, broadcasting equipment, synthetic fabric (2023) note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
2023 source periods; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Climate
arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers
archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Terrain
mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest
archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Land use
agricultural land: 58.4% (2023 est.) arable land: 12% (2023 est.) permanent crops: 0.4% (2023 est.) permanent pasture: 46% (2023 est.) forest: 1.9% (2023 est.) other: 39.7% (2023 est.)
2023 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Natural hazards
damaging earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains; flooding; droughts
archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Languages
Afghan Persian or Dari (official, lingua franca) 77%, Pashto (official) 48%, Uzbeki 11%, English 6%, Turkmani 3%, Urdu 3%, Pashaie 1%, Nuristani 1%, Arabic 1%, Balochi 1%, other 1% (2020 est.) major-language sample(s): کتاب حقایق جهان، مرجعی ضروری برای اطلاعات اولیە (Dari) د دنیا د حقائېقو کتاب، بنیادی معلوماتو لپاره ضروری سرچینه- (Pashto) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information. note 1: percentages sum to more than 100% because many people are multilingual note 2: Uzbeki, Turkmani, Pashaie, Nuristani, Balochi, and Pamiri are the third official languages in areas where the majority speaks them
2020 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Religions
Muslim 99.7% (Sunni 84.7 - 89.7%, Shia 10 - 15%), other 0.3% (2009 est.)
2009 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Age structure
0-14 years: 39.6% (male 8,062,407/female 7,818,897) 15-64 years: 57.5% (male 11,702,734/female 11,372,249) 65 years and over: 2.9% (2024 est.) (male 535,925/female 629,340)
2024 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Urbanization
urban population: 26.9% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 3.34% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
2023, 2020 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 54.4 years (2024 est.) male: 52.8 years female: 56.1 years
2024 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Literacy
total population: 37.3% (2021 est.) male: 52.1% (2021 est.) female: 26.6% (2022 est.)
2021, 2022 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Electricity
installed generating capacity: 627,000 kW (2023 est.) consumption: 6.468 billion kWh (2023 est.) imports: 6.221 billion kWh (2023 est.) transmission/distribution losses: 725.652 million kWh (2023 est.)
2023 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Electricity generation sources
fossil fuels: 13.3% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) solar: 9.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) hydroelectricity: 77% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
2023 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Petroleum
refined petroleum consumption: 58,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
2023 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Natural gas
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.)
2020, 2021 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Carbon dioxide emissions
7.757 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.) from coal and metallurgical coke: 930,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.) from petroleum and other liquids: 6.827 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
2023 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Telephones - mobile cellular
total subscriptions: 25.6 million (2024 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 60 (2024 est.)
2024 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Broadband - fixed subscriptions
total: 33,000 (2023 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: (2023 est.) less than 1
2023 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Airports
68 (2025)
2025 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
GDP - composition, by sector of origin
agriculture: 34.7% (2023 est.) industry: 13.4% (2023 est.) services: 46.4% (2023 est.) note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data
2023 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Remittances
1.9% of GDP (2023 est.) 2.2% of GDP (2022 est.) 2.2% of GDP (2021 est.) note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities
2023, 2022, 2021 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
CURRENCY OBSERVATIONS
Money & exchange rates
The latest verified daily references are separate from the historical country profile. Values are currency units per US$1.
Afghani
AFN per US$1
Published reference snapshot; its original observation date is preserved.
1 AFN = US$0.01537941
64.365–65.241 AFN per US$1 across the displayed observations. The vertical scale follows this range.
View dated observations
| Observation date | AFN per US$1 |
|---|---|
| Oct 6, 2026 | 65.022 |
| Oct 5, 2026 | 65.097 |
| Oct 4, 2026 | 65.112 |
| Oct 3, 2026 | 65.152 |
| Oct 2, 2026 | 65.241 |
| Oct 1, 2026 | 65.149 |
| Sep 30, 2026 | 65.076 |
| Sep 29, 2026 | 65.018 |
| Sep 28, 2026 | 64.94 |
| Sep 27, 2026 | 64.907 |
| Sep 26, 2026 | 64.914 |
| Sep 25, 2026 | 64.859 |
| Sep 24, 2026 | 64.892 |
| Sep 23, 2026 | 64.747 |
| Sep 22, 2026 | 64.65 |
| Sep 21, 2026 | 64.603 |
| Sep 20, 2026 | 64.604 |
| Sep 19, 2026 | 64.625 |
| Sep 18, 2026 | 64.629 |
| Sep 17, 2026 | 64.607 |
| Sep 16, 2026 | 64.481 |
| Sep 15, 2026 | 64.485 |
| Sep 14, 2026 | 64.462 |
| Sep 13, 2026 | 64.4 |
| Sep 12, 2026 | 64.389 |
| Sep 11, 2026 | 64.367 |
| Sep 10, 2026 | 64.365 |
| Sep 9, 2026 | 64.384 |
| Sep 8, 2026 | 64.493 |
| Sep 7, 2026 | 64.515 |
Daily references are not live execution prices. A check time does not change a source observation date.
CAPITAL MARKETS
Stock exchanges
No venue from our curated stock exchange directory is listed for this entity.
Browse the worldwide directory →Exchange directory coverage is curated and does not establish that an entity has no other trading venues.
CONTINUE YOUR RESEARCH
Official data & country reports
Research directories have their own coverage. A link is not a claim that every entity has an IMF report or a separate national statistical office.
SOURCES & DATES
Where the facts come from.
Editorial presentation by American Business Capital Group Inc. The organizations and archive links below are the underlying sources.
- Country reference
- CIA World Factbook · 2025 archive
- Archive retrieved
- Oct 6, 2026 · retrieval date, not an observation period
- Currency associations
- SIX / ISO 4217 currency registry ↗
- Rate observations
- Frankfurter / official reference providers ↗ · each observation is dated separately
- State classification
- UN member states ↗ · UN observer states ↗
- UN membership is shown separately from territory and currency coverage; inclusion is not a position on sovereignty or boundaries.
- CIA World Factbook text preserved by World Factbook Archive. Archive edition 2025; individual estimates retain their own dates. These are historical reference facts, not current observations.
About the editions. The CIA announced the end of its online World Factbook on February 4, 2026. Our historical profiles retain the archive editions shown above.
Skyhorse lists The CIA World Factbook 2026–2027, published April 7, 2026 (ISBN 9781510786042). That book’s full text has not been incorporated here; its edition title does not redate the imported archive. Archive distribution license.
Geography is a simplified reference. Displayed boundaries and entity inclusion do not express a position on sovereignty or disputed borders.